Must Love Dogs
by BePassionate24
Summary: All Human. AU. Stefan Salvatore, a successful real-estate developer has problems. An ex-wife who takes nearly everything from him, except for her dog. A brother who needs marriage advice & a best friend who's secretly in love with him. So, what happens when Stefan finds himself in need of someone to care for the dog? Will feisty Elena Gilbert be the answer to all his problems?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! Here's my newest story idea, it will be a bit fluffier than the other things I've been writing. And,it's going to be mainly Stelena with a few other characters showing up. :) I kind of just wanted to get it out there and see if any of you would be interested in reading more of it. Please let me know if I should keep going with this or if I should scrap it?**

**Thanks so much for reading & Enjoy!**

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**Must Love Dogs- Chapter One **

"Check please!" Stefan shouted across the bar, lifting his hand up and waving the bartender over, his best friend, Caroline Forbes. Stefan glanced across the smoke filled room and watched as someone slide him another drink of whiskey across the bar table.

"Come on, brother! It's time to celebrate, not run home to that empty house of yours. You are finally a free man! By the way, how is Rebekah doing with moving out? Is she still telling you that she wants to take a chainsaw to the furniture and split it?" Damon, his older brother asked him in a joking manner as he got up from his seat and took the empty bar stool next to his younger brother, Stefan.

They had been working together since their father had signed over the real estate business to them, right after he had retired last year. But, ever since his dad, Giuseppe Salvatore had given his only sons his multi millionaire dollar business, things had been too much for Stefan to handle, in other words- his life was falling apart and it was about to all come to a boiling point!

"She says I work too much. That ever since I took over SD Realty Firm that I haven't been paying that much attention to her. It's funny, because I feel like I have. At least she's taking everything she owns with her!" Stefan told his brother, leaning over his drink as he exhaled deeply and placed his hand on to the half filled glass in front of him.

"So, I take it that the divorce is finalized?" Damon asked him, watching as Stefan nodded, slipping off his wedding ring that he had still been wearing ever since Rebekah, his ex-wife had called off their nearly 5 year marriage just a few months ago.

" Yeah and now,I'm a 26 years old divorcé. I have a multi million dollar company to run and a ton of paper work to fill out for our next project here in the Florida Keys and now, my wife- the girl that I've loved ever since we met in High School has decided that we have inconsiderable differences. Damon, this isn't how I pictured my life. But, at least I'll have the house." Stefan said, finally picking up the drink in his hands and slamming it back, feeling the alcohol burn down his throat as he inhaled sharply.

Damon watched with curious eyes when his brother got up, leaving a $10 dollar tip on the counter, straightening out his dark blue suit and exhaling deeply. It was a little past 10:30 on a Tuesday night and yet, he figured that he should go home and see if Rebekah had left anything valuable for him, in her attempt at moving out of their house that was on the other side of town.

"Are you okay to drive?" A woman's voice stopped Stefan in his tracks as he spun around and looked up. Stefan's green hazy eyes met a pair of dark blue and bright eyes as she twirled her long blonde hair in between her fingers and smiled up at him.

"I'm fine, Caroline. And, don't worry. Put my bill on the company tab. I'll see you tomorrow." He told her, shoving his hands into his pockets and brushing past her when she stepped to the side and looked over at Damon, walking over to him slowly.

"What's wrong with him?" She asked him, noticing that Stefan wasn't his usual happy self whenever he'd seen her or been at the bar that she worked at. She was his best friend since they were little kids. If anyone knew Stefan more than any one else in his life, It was Caroline Forbes. They knew everything about each other, from embarrassing stories to heartbreaking ones, from drunken fueled night hook ups with people neither of them really liked and all the moments in between.

Damon cocked his head to the side with a small shrug of his shoulders as he opened his mouth to reply. But, just as he began to form the words. Caroline looked down at her shoes and then back up at him, an irritated looked in her eyes as she replied for him. "It's Rebekah, isn't it? What does she want from him now. He's given her a settlement and he's told her that she could keep the house, if she wanted it. What else could she possibly rip from under him?" Caroline questioned, getting annoyed at the mention of Stefan's ex-wife and the fact that ever since they had started their divorce proceedings that Stefan had been a lot more down lately and had seemed to be a frequent visitor of the bars in town- which left Caroline worried and on edge.

"I don't know, Caroline. All I know is that I'm thankful that I don't have to deal with at." Damon answered her, watching as she rolled her eyes and swatted his arm, missing and nearly hitting him in the face instead. "Hey, watch the face! This beautiful gem has been on magazine covers! I can't get it bruised or bloodied, especially by you."

Caroline turned her back towards him, inhaling through gritted teeth when she looked at him over her shoulder and said in a sharp tone. "Oh, shut up Damon and go home to your wife. Katherine's waiting and we all know what happens when you're late..She comes down here and bitches about it!"

* * *

"Elena Marie Gilbert! Hurry up!" Bonnie yelled at her from the bottom of the stairs, watching as Elena hurried down them.

"Airplane ticket? Check! Money? Check! What else am I missing?" Elena asked her best friend and her roommate, watching as she smiled at her and looked down at the suitcase that was between them.

"Are you sure that you want to leave for the summer? I mean, you're going to miss having a shot at getting into the art designing firm that's opening up in downtown Portland." Bonnie reminded her. It was Elena's dream to get into the well known art firm. She had gone to school at Oregon State University and had just finished the year before, hoping to learn everything she could about being an art consultant. But, finding a job had been harder than she had expected, especially since she was living on her own with her best friend, Bonnie Bennett and her younger brother, Jeremy and jobs were harder to come by in their part of town.

"Well, Jeremy just got a good job and you two are going to be moving out of this crappy old apartment soon, into a house once you land that internship at the news station. Besides, my aunt Jenna needs me, Bonnie. I'm the only one in the family who actually knows a little something about running a business and the Florida sun could do me some good." Elena told her, pushing the suitcase to the side of them as she embraced Bonnie and held her tightly.

"I'm going to miss you so much!" Elena told her, turning around to see her brother staring at them with a smile on his face. "What about me?" He asked with a laugh, walking towards the girls and embracing them both into his arms. "Group hug!" He commented in a teasing tone, taking a step back and exhaling deeply when he picked up his sister's suitcase and groaned.

"My god, Elena! You're going to be gone just for the summer! You don't need all of this stuff. What did you pack in here anyways?" Jeremy teased her, glancing up to see Elena place her hands on to her hips, looking around the room.

"I just packed clothes, half the bathroom and you know, all the things a 24 year old graduate will need to live a nice little summer adventure in Florida." She said with a wink, pulling the suitcase towards her and away from Jeremy, tugging it towards the front door as she leaned against the door and laughed. "You're right, I packed too much. Great!"

Jeremy and Bonnie laughed, standing near the staircase, their hands intertwined as Elena glanced at them and smiled a little, tears welling up into her eyes. "What am I going to do all summer long without you two?" She asked, sniffling a little as she turned her back towards them and opened the front door to the apartment, dragging out her suitcase into the hallway.

"Well, you'll be washing dogs at Jenna's dog grooming place and hopefully you'll be able to come back with more than just stories about the customers. Maybe if you're lucky, you'll meet someone." Bonnie told her with a beaming grin, letting go of Jeremy's hand as she smiled and added. "We're going to miss you too. Just remember to call us once you land! I want to know all the details and I want to know what your aunt and her husband are like."

"Are you sure that you don't want us to take you to the airport?" Elena's brother asked her, looking over at his sister who was leaning against a wall in the hallway, her purse thrown over her shoulder as her hands clutched the handle to her suitcase.

"Nope. It's completely fine. You two need some rest and the taxi ride won't be that long. Besides, Alaric and Jenna said that they'd pick me up from the airport once I land. So, it's not like I'm taking a taxi to their house. Look, I should get going..." Elena's voice trailed off as she looked down at her cell phone and noticed that it was getting about that time to leave.

"Okay. Just, be safe. We love you and call us, everyday!" Jeremy told her, stepping into the hallway with Bonnie following right behind him, both of them hugging Elena tightly once more as she nodded. "I promise. You'll hear all about my Florida adventure. Just remember, it's probably not going to be that exciting. I mean, I'm going to be working as a receptionist at a dog grooming salon. Trust me, there is nothing that fun about it." Elena told them both with a shrug of her shoulders, tightening her arms around them when she exhaled deeply and sighed. "I am going to miss you two so much." She said softly, silently debating with herself if she was making the right choice in leaving her hometown of Oregon for the summer and her family behind, since it was the first time in a long time that they had all been separated for a few months.

* * *

He could feel it, the buzzing and dizziness in his head as he unlocked the front door to the darkened house. Even the lights were off on the outside and everything seemed so cold and dead inside when Stefan stepped into the house that he once shared with Rebekah. His house that he had bought them and had custom designed himself.

"Oh, for god sakes,Rebekah!" He cursed her name under his breath as he started to undo his tie and threw it down to the ground, stepping over it in his nicely polished black dress shoes. It had been a long day of meetings and making blueprints for his plans to destroy an old shopping center and replace it with newly planned set of apartments. So for a moment, Stefan enjoyed the silence. That was until he started looking around the house that had a view of the beach as his backyard and large high ceilings with even larger windows that were surrounding it and letting the moonlight in.

Stefan could hear the water of the ocean crashing viciously against the sand when he inhaled deeply, turning on the lights in the kitchen. He was exhausted from everything, from work- from life, as he slipped off his suit jacket and placed his hands on to the isle in the middle of the kitchen. The dark granite marble shinned under his hands when he leaned down and placed his head against the cool tiles. All Stefan wanted was to forget about today, about the fact that Rebekah had moved out, leaving him with barely anything to his name and the a fact that he was now divorced..after 5 long years of loving only her and being loyal to only her- Stefan was now left with a hole in his heart where she had once filled it.

He paused though, lifting his head up briskly when he heard a small whimpering noise coming from outside on the patio. Stefan shook his head in confusion..She didn't...She couldn't have..Rebekah had taken almost everything that was hers from inside of the house, leaving him with the couch, the 90" flat screen TV and a few other things that were scattered around the house from when she had the movers she hired take her things. But, their was one thing that Stefan couldn't fathom having around and it was...the animal making noises outside!

Stefan rubbed his eyes when he finally pushed himself away from the isle and walked towards the sliding patio door, hearing the sound of barking become louder and louder when he approached. The warm summer night and Floridian heat hit his face as he turned on a light outside and got a better picture of the one thing that was making the noise- her dog!

"I can't believe this..She left you behind? You've got to be fucking kidding me!" Stefan yelled out into the darkened night, stepping towards the large brown and black German Shepard. It's not that he didn't like dogs, Stefan did. It was just- Rebekah's 4 year old German Shepard was way more than he could handle and working all the time was part of the problem. The dog hadn't had enough time to bond with him as much as he did with Rebekah. And, Stefan didn't really have very much time to care for him since he had gotten Rebekah the dog to keep her company when he was away on long business trips.

Stefan smiled as he bent down towards the dog, getting to be eye level with him as he patted the top of his head and exhaled out a breath, his shaking hands pulling out his cell phone from his back pocket when he dialed _her_ cell phone number.

One ring. Two Rings..."Hello?" Rebekah's voice sang through the phone as she cheerfully answered, causing Stefan to gag a bit as how cheerful she sounded.

"You left the damn dog, behind. Rebekah!" Stefan bellowed into the phone as he heard her let out a laugh and she signed out a breath.

"I know, I did. But, I also had my lawyer sign him over to you. He's yours now, Stefan. Besides, I know how much you just love dogs!" She said in a sarcastic tone.

"I want you to come back and get him. I can't take care of a fucking dog! I have too much stuff going on. He's going to be chewing up shit, pissing on things and destroying the house! I'm going to need to hire someone to take care of him when I'm out of town too and that shit is expensive! But, of course- you didn't think about that did you?" Stefan asked her, his voice rising with more anger than he had felt earlier in the day when Rebekah had met up with him to get the keys to the house so that she could move out her things.

"Well, it's in our settlement, Stefan. I took what was mine and left you what was yours. The dog was negotiable and since we've had him since he was a puppy and you bought him for me. Technically, he's yours now. Look, I'm exhausted from moving my things out and I really need to go. Good luck, Stefan. Plus, maybe having him around will cause you to be less lonely. Or who knows, maybe you'll neglect that relationship too, just like you did ours." She said, ripping into him one last time as she laughed and hung up the phone before Stefan could even finish retorting back an argument.

"Son of a bitch!" He screamed, getting back to his feet as he heard the dog yelp and start barking at him. Stefan ran his hands though his hair, placing them at his sides, turning his head to the side when he looked down at the dog, his brown eyes shining up at Stefan.

"I've had you for 4 fucking years and I don't even know your name." Stefan concluded in an exhausted tone, stepping beside the dog and untying his leash from the chair leg that it was wrapped around. He pulled the leash gently as he exhaled and lead the dog into the house, stopping in front of him, just short of the sliding door. Stefan patted the dog's head again, locking his eyes on to him when he exhaled deeply and smiled with a deliriously exhausted look.

"Look.." His voice trailed off as he grabbed the tags on the dogs collar, flipping it around when he read the name out loud. "Duke..Ha, of course..Your name's Duke. Let's lay out some ground rules since we're stuck with each other- so unconveniently! No pissing in the house, no chewing on my expensive leather shoes and definitely no bathroom accidents in the middle of the night and if for some reason, you do end up having one. You have to bark or I don't know...wake me up before you make a mess." Stefan told him, placing his hands onto each side of the dogs face as he leaned his forehead against the dog, feeling Duke lick his face and whimper a bit.

"Okay? I guess you can stay. Just, you and I are going to have a lot of ground rules to get down together. Also, if you sleep in my bed. No hogging it!" Stefan said with a laugh, shaking his head and pulling Duke inside of the house by his collar.

"I can't believe I'm talking to you like a person..Damn it, I'm going crazy." Stefan mumbled under his breath when he let go of the dogs collar and closed the sliding door behind him. Stefan then took a step forward and just when he did, Duke sat in front of him, whining.

"I know, buddy. We got pretty screwed in this deal. Didn't we? Look, at least we can agree on one thing. I don't like you as much as you don't like me" Stefan said, walking past the dog and straight into the kitchen, pulling out a beer and cracking up the top of it as he took a long sip of the cold beverage, running his hands through his hair and looking around the nearly empty house. At least he wasn't completely alone, he thought. Maybe Rebekah leaving behind the dog would turn out to be a good thing or it would turn out to be a complete disaster- only time would tell.

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**A/N: So, what did you all think..Love it? Hate it? Please let me know, because if I get enough people interested in this story, then I'll continue it. :)**

**Follow me on Twitter for updates to my stories at: Be_Passionate24**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey all! Thank you guys so much for the reviews, I really appreciated them! :) So, here's CH.2 of this story. **

**Enjoy & Thanks so much for reading! **

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**Must Love Dogs- Chapter Two **

He had spent the day trying to figure it all out, trying to piece together every little detail of what their relationship had meant to her, what it had meant to him. He loved her, Stefan had loved her-years ago when they had met and even though she had turned into a monstrous version of herself over the last 2 years that they were together, a small part of him-still cared for Rebekah.

Hell, Stefan had loved his ex wife so much that he still caught himself calling her his wife and he let her decorate the house, picking out the location for their "family home" because she had told him that it would calm her whenever she was stressed from her job as the company's promoter. She loved the water, the ocean was her sanctuary and Stefan had loved it right along with her..until she told him that she was leaving him and wanted out of their marriage, a few months ago on the beach, saying that she was feeling suffocated by their relationship to continue any further. After that night, Stefan hated the sand, the sound of the water made him sick and even the smell of it-everything reminding him of Rebekah.

Rebekah Salvatore had been the one person that the media flocked to whenever there was any breaking news or changes in regards to SD Realty and even though it didn't bother Stefan back then when his mother Maria had suggested it- for his wife to be the 'face' of the company. It bothered him a hell of a lot more now because he knew that in the midst of their divorce that she would be the first one to tell her lies about their divorce and the problems he was having in his company to the newspapers and magazines that SD Realty graced every few months as a promotion campaign.

He hadn't been sleeping properly. Everything, since she had broken his heart- had seemed so unimportant and the only thing that had mattered was his work. So, Stefan drown himself in it,so much so that he had started to practically live in his office that was on the fifth floor in the key west area of Florida. A nice and beautiful area that was about 50 miles from Miami.

"_You need to stop working so much. You need to find a nice girl and settle down. Rebekah was a nice girl, Stefan. But- she wasn't right for you and that family of hers! Oh, they are a piece of work!" _His mother had told him when he'd drove to Miami for his weekly visit.

She was right. Stefan thought, although he had been too blinded by her beauty, her adventurous spirit and zest for life to see any differently. Rebekah was intriguing that was for sure. Yet, there was always something missing between them that Stefan had been feeling more and more lately and it was hard to figure out what it was exactly until she told him that she wanted out, then it all came into full view- it was the love that they had for each other- it was gone.

The loud buzzing of his alarm clock had awoken him before the cell phone on his brown colored night stand ever did. Stefan rubbed his eyes roughly, exhaling out a breath when he rolled over and felt something warm and furry next to him. Stefan groaned out a loud annoyed sigh when he flipped on his side and locked his tired green eyes on to the chocolate brown eyes of the German Shepard beside him.

"You little shi-….Duke, get off the bed!" Stefan scolded him, watching Duke's long and pointy dark brown ears perk up and twitch at the sound of his own name.

Stefan pushed himself up, looking around the room. Papers, bubble wrap, empty left over boxes were scattered everywhere. She hadn't even left a scent of herself behind for him to hold on to and, his heart hurt because of it.

His body felt achy, heavy like a dead weight was sitting on his chest when he picked up his shirt off of the floor that had a fowl oder of stale air and beer stains on it. He had gotten drunk last night, really damn drunk because of all the stress. His head was still pounding, his clothes were scattered all over the house instead of neatly placed in their spots like he would usually always do and there were empty beer bottles near the bedside as well.

What the hell...Happened last ni-." Stefan stopped himself as he turned to look back at his bed, he had taken out their old wedding pictures and was looking over them the night before. He remembered that much. But, what confused him the most was his cell phone. It had a red flashing light on it as if someone has left him a few messages. But, who the hell did he call after he left the bar last night? The only person he knew of was Rebekah. Yet, that was before he had gone on his very own drunken 'pity party'.

Stefan grabbed his cell phone briskly and exhaled a heavy breath, tightening his eyes shut for a moment before he grabbed his cell phone into his hands and opened his missed calls list, noticing that he had a few from his parents, four from Damon and the rest were from...

"Caroline! Oh, shit!" Stefan mumbled under his breath as he ran his hands through his hair and looked over at the clock which read 8:15 in the morning. He was supposed to have a meeting with a construction company in Miami today for his latest project, demolishing an old shopping center in the heart of the city. Stefan was supposed to meet with the guys to talk about the details on when and how they were going to start the project and when they were going to start giving out more eviction notices to the companies that had businesses in the plaza.

He was too focused on all the things that he had to do that he scrambled to call Caroline back, his hands shaking a bit at the thought of the messages or texts that he had sent her in his drunken stumper.

"Oh thank god! You have a lot of explaining to do!" Caroline exclaimed, her voice being more high pitched than normal as Stefan heard what sounded like people shouting and laughing in the background.

"Are you working?" He asked her curiously, listening when she shuffled around a few pieces of papers and sighed out a breath. "I'm supposed to be leaving, Stefan. I have to meet up with Katherine and Damon. It's concerning you." Caroline commented in a soft tone, rolling her eyes as she looked around the bar and changed her cell phone to her left hand when someone bumped into her.

About him? What could they be planning..Was he really in that bad of shape that he needed his brother, sister in law and best friend to all meet up and talk to him? Stefan shook the questions and thoughts away, turning around to pull Duke off the bed as he inhaled sharply. "Surely, you three don't have a lot to talk about me for. Besides, you can't stand Katherine or my brother. Caroline, why are you meeting with them about me in the first place. I'm fine, I'm handling the divorce, perfectly fine." He reassured her.

Caroline let out a loud laugh. "You aren't fine, Stefan! You called me at 2:30 in the morning last night, crying about how you missed her and saying that you wish you knew where she was because you wanted to bring her back home. That isn't okay! You're in denial about it all, Stefan. Rebekah left you, and the divorce was her doing. Look, I know that it hurts. But, you need to move on. And, not just dive back into your work- that isn't living! That's avoiding your problems." She had told him, hearing as he laughed a little in an annoyed tone.

"I'm not in denial, Caroline. I'm perfectly fine. Listen, I got to get going..She left- Rebekah left the dog at the house and I don't know what to do with him...He's nasty. He slobbers everywhere, snores and this morning when I woke up, he was in my face, breathing on me! I just- I don't like him and-" Stefan paused for a moment, smiling to himself as he looked over at Duke who was now sitting on the light colored wooden flooring, chewing on one of Stefan's shoes.

"Duke, NO. No, chewing on my expensive shoes!" Stefan shouted, causing Caroline to move the phone away from her ear for a moment, shaking her head. "Well, if I could. I'd take him off your hands. But, I can't do it. We're going to a restaurant and..." Caroline's voice trailed off as she heard a growling noise and what sounded like Stefan struggling.

"Come back here you little shit! Oh, wonderful. I guess I'm just going to need to take him all the way out to Miami with me, now! I really need to find someone to take care of him, this is out of control. I need to go. Oh and Caroline, I'm sorry about last night- if I said something over the phone of through text message that I shouldn't have." He told her in an apologetic tone, listening when she huffed out a breath and smiled.

"It's fine. Try to have a good day, Stefan and don't hate on the dog so much. You never know, you two might hit it off eventually." She commented before telling him a quick goodbye and hanging up the phone.

* * *

The red eye flight was exhausting as she stood near the baggage carousels at the airport in Miami, looking around the large open space for a familiar face- anyone that resembled her aunt Jenna or her husband, Alaric in the pictures that Elena had seen of them over the years.

"Elena?" Jenna's sweet voice came up from behind her, tears in her eyes as she watched Elena's tired face lock on to hers.

"It's so good to see you and for you to be here! It's been so long." Jenna told her, embracing her tightly as she felt Elena's arms wrap around her and hold her just as closely. The flight from Portland to Miami had been excruciating and Elena was just happy to be on solid ground again, finally where she needed to be.

"So, how's everything going? God, I haven't seen you since you were a little kid, around 10 or 11 years old. But, look at you...you're a grown woman now!" Jenna commented with a soft smile on her face, her green eyes shining as she listened to Elena talk about Jeremy and his girlfriend Bonnie, about how her parents had been vacationing in South Carolina for the last few weeks and were enjoying their retirement and a little bit about herself, telling her aunt that she had just finished school and was trying to just figure her life out.

"So, your dad finally got rid of his private practice as a dentist, huh?" Jenna asked her, looking down as the bags on the carousel went around and around, glancing over to see Elena take a step towards it when she finally spotted her two large red bags.

"Yeah, he sold it and they're thinking about moving to South Carolina, looking at houses there." Elena added, yanking her bags from out of the baggage claim area and turning back towards her aunt.

"Let's go." She said quietly, slinging one of her duffel bags over her shoulder and falling into step with Jenna who had a pair of dark brown khakis on, a light green shirt, her honey blonde hair pulled back into a high ponytail with a pair of Marc Jacobs shades on top of her head.

"So, where's your husband..Alaric- is it?" Elena asked in a questionable tone. All she knew about her aunt Jenna was that she owned a grooming salon in Miami that was fighting to stay afloat. And that they hadn't seen each other since Elena was a little kid, years ago.

The salon had been passed down from Elena's mother Miranda to her little sister, Jenna after they both graduated college and as news spread that her mother was marrying her father, Grayson Gilbert. Jenna had loved Florida so much that she had stayed behind to keep the family company running after Miranda moved away to Oregon to help Grayson with his blooming dentistry career. Other than that and the fact that Elena knew she was married, Jenna and her were nearly strangers. Of course, she had spent the earlier parts of her life around her aunt. But, those short visits would only last a few weeks and when they did- Elena being young, vaguely remembered the times she had spent with both Jenna and Alaric over the years.

"Yes! Alaric and I have been married for the last 10 years and we have a few dogs. I...They're like our kids." Jenna said in a sudden saddened tone, looking out towards the parking lot at the sea of cars in front of them, searching for her own.

"So, I take it that you two don't have kids of your own?" Elena asked her, watching as Jenna placed her hand into her purse and pulled out her cell phone and her car keys.

"Sweetheart, I don't know how much your mother's told you about me. But, I can't have kids..Sadly, Alaric and I have been trying for years and we just- we can't conceive. So, after gallons of ice cream and sleepless nights of crying myself to sleep about it. I went out and I adopted two dogs. Lily and Samson. Don't ask about the silly name of Samson, apparently Alaric has always liked that name." Jenna said with a laugh, watching as Elena gave her perplexed look, one filled with sadness.

"Jenna, I'm sorry. I-..." Elena began to say as Jenna cut her off, finally finding her car and walking towards it. Elena followed behind as she watched Jenna step in front of her dark green Jeep, popping the trunk open. Elena took a step back as she watched Jenna lift her suitcases into the back and shut the trunk door.

"It's fine, Elena. You didn't know. I honestly haven't told anyone that in a long time. I just, I guess I thought your mother told you all about me when she told you to come out here to visit. Now, would you mind if we stop by my salon to get a few things I forgot. I can even show you around the salon and show you what I'll be needing you to help me with." Jenna asked her, unlocking the doors as she gazed over at Elena who smiled, nodding.

" Mom didn't mention anything at all...And, that's fine. I'm officially on vacation. So, I have all the time in the world." Elena said, opening the passenger side door and sliding into the sear as she hear Jenna start the car.

* * *

The shop was small, a few kennels on each side in the back room, with a nice spread of a washing area, and a few tables for grooming. When they walked back to the front room there was a a small desk, cluttered with folders, a computer and a smaller portable phone on the left side corner of the desk. And another larger area with an even bigger desk that had Jenna's name on it, her business cards in a pile on the dark brown cherry colored desk.

"You really do need some help." Elena said in a huff, looking around the walls that were covered with pictures of Jenna's clients, most of the dogs with ribbons around their necks, some of them even having bows in their fur. Jenna watched as her gaze fell back upon the stacks of endless paperwork and folders when she looked over at Elena who was sitting in the black office chair, spinning in circles and exhaling deeply.

"What's really going on Jenna? Why did you need me to come all the way out here...It isn't just to have me work for the summer, is it?" Elena asked her, stopping the wobbling chair as she planted her feet back onto the ground firmly, hearing as her red colored flip flops hit against the light brown carpeting in the room.

"They want to tear this whole building down, Elena. I have spent years in making this place what it is and my clients and their dogs are like family. And, two days ago. I got a notice about this company called SD Realty who wants to tear down all the small shops and this shopping center down so that they can build a huge building that has 22 floors and all of them are going to be a set of brand new apartments. This idiot guy who owns the place wants to ruin my business and I called you because I feel like you can help me save it, help me keep it going until I figure out what I'm going to do and until I find a new place to move my company." Jenna confessed, tears in her eyes as she placed her hand onto Elena's shoulder and looked down at her niece.

"I'm going to help you in any way that I can. But, I bet you that this 'idiot' is probably a big wig jerk. Look, maybe I can call his cooperate office and complain or something.." Elena's voice trailed off as she looked over at Jenna who was wiping away the tears that were falling down her cheeks.

"We're going to figure this out, Jenna. We'll set up a strike or something so that they can't demolish the store just yet..It could buy you some more time. I'll think of something, I promise. But, until then. Let's start with getting rid of this stack of papers. So, that when we open tomorrow that you have a clean slate with me here." Elena added, leaning towards her Aunt and grabbing her hand gently with a smiling face.

"Okay." Jenna said in a soft tone, looking out the window that was behind Elena and watching as a sleek red and overly polished Cayman S Porsche sports car parked in front of her salon. They both watched the guy in the car roll it's windows down, allowing the music blasting from the cars speakers to be overheard by everyone around him. Elena and Jenna looked over at each other as they watched the man who was sitting in the parked car shut off the engine and step out.

Elena and Jenna noticed as he straightened out his Valentinoblack suit and leaned against the car. Elena cleared her throat as she continued to watch him. He was good looking, seemingly well off and surprisingly young. Although, she could tell that he was all business and no play- he probably never knew how to have a good time in his life, Elena thought to herself as she turned towards the window more and examined him. He held a set of papers in his hands, a leather folder under his arm and a toothpick was dangling from his lips when he lifted up his dark sun glasses, looking up at the building.

"Who the hell is this runway model guy outside of your salon, Jenna?" Elena asked, licking her chapped lips and getting up to get closer to the window. But, just as Elena did. She froze when she watched the young brown haired man in his pressed and overly dry cleaned suit take a few steps further towards the front door and before Jenna could reply back, he entered the salon.

"Good morning, Ladies. Which one of you is.." He paused for a moment, shuffling the papers in his hands, reading them briskly as he looked back up at Elena and Jenna again, then added. "Jenna Saltzman?"

Elena stood near him, speechless and observant. He was handsome, in the suit and he smelled like an expensive men's cologne. His green eyes were warm and welcoming, his scent was crisp and clean, and from what she could tell, he certainly worked out a lot, that was sure from the way he stood. His broad shoulders rolled back, feet spread a bit and hands clutching the papers tightly.

"I am." Jenna replied softly, giving him a confused looked as he extended out his hand and smiled, the green in his eyes instantly turned to pure amusement and the smug smile on his face made Elena want to vomit when he said. "I'm sorry to intrude. But, My name is Stefan Salvatore and I'm the owner of SD Realty, I'm more of the real estate developer, actually- in other words, I decide what locations we get to demolish and which ones get to stay. And, I'm here to deliver your eviction notice on behalf of my company."

"Eviction notice? You're got to be kidding me. I've already gotten a few from your company, Mr. Salvatore and I'm very aware of what your planning on doing to this area. But, you don't seem to realize that I still have a while until your wrecking crew comes in here and takes away everything that I've spent half my life working towards. This business, my salon is all I have. And, you have the right to let me stay here until I find someplace new."

Stefan laughed, looking over at Elena and then back to Jenna when he shrugged his shoulders back and whistled out a breath. "Mrs. Saltzman. I don't think you understand me. You don't have very long, three months to be exact. So, this is my very early notice to you. Find a new place to rebuild your dog grooming salon. Because, frankly- in three months, this place is going to be a new set of apartments that I can profit on, very nicely." He added with a wink.

Elena watched as Stefan pivoted on his shiny black dress shoes, his hand on the door knob as he tilted his head to the side, opening the door when smiled at her and looked back at both of them. "Have a nice day, ladies. And, I'll be in touch. Mrs. Saltzman. Remember, three months!"

* * *

"The nerve of that man!" Elena shouted, running her hands through long brown hair as Stefan left the salon and walked back out towards the parking lot, to his car. Elena leaned back into her chair and watched him outside of the building. He was now standing near the car again, trying to pull something out of it that looked like it was attached to a leash.

"I have an idea." Elena said in a whispered tone, hearing Jenna exhale and push herself away from her desk, standing up and walking to the window, shutting the white colored blinds. "Don't even think about it, Elena. I don't want that man anywhere near me or this establishment. He's a pig and he's about to take away everything from me and Alaric. There isn't anything you can do and I won't be making any deals with him, at all!"

"He has a dog, Jenna." Elena shrieked in a sudden excited tone as she peered through the blinds and watched Stefan finally yank on the red leash in his hands, forcing a large brown and black 110 pound German Shepard that was biting at the leash in Stefan's hands out of the car and just as the dog jumped out of the car, dust collected, getting Stefan's perfectly black suit smudged with dust.

"So, what if he has a dog." Jenna said, rolling her eyes as she watched Elena fix up her hair, smiling brightly when she got up from her seat and walked towards the front door. "He clearly doesn't know anything about dogs and I just think I found our loophole. In other words, I find us a way to buy time."

Jenna exhaled as she watched Elena open the door and smile at her. "I'll be right back."

"Where are you- Elena- don't you dare...Elena!" Jenna's voice faded out when Elena opened the door and stepped out, directing all her attention towards Stefan who was struggling with the dog.

* * *

"Hey, Mr. hot shot!" Elena exclaimed, causing Stefan's head to snap up. His hands were on the Porsche, head down, staring at the ground as he exhaled deeply, the leash tightly wound around his wrist and just when Elena stepped closer, a large and heavy set German Shepard came up to her, barking, his tail was in between his legs, eyes narrowed on her when he stood behind Stefan and continued to bark.

"Duke, stop it!" Stefan commanded sharply, tugging on the leash roughly and telling the dog to sit in a very demanding tone.

"What do you want? Come out here to tell me that I shouldn't demolish your...aunt's place?" He asked, looking up at Elena with a twinge of annoyance in his glance.

Elena rolled her eyes, placed her hands across her stomach and shifting her weight. "Actually, I was going to tell you that. But, you seem really set on it. So, I really don't think anything that I say will change your mind. However, Mr. Salvatore...I've noticed that your having some trouble with the dog."

Stefan let out a laugh, shook his head and locked his leaf green eyes on to Elena. "Him? Ha, we're perfectly fine. I've got it all handled."

Elena laughed, shaking her head as she looked down at the dog that Stefan had called "Duke."

"Come here, baby..It's okay, I won't hurt you." Elena said in a sweet coated voice, laced with a bit of attitude. She kneeled down in front of the large dog and extended out her hand, a green dog treat in the shape of a bone in the palm of her hand. Duke's ears instantly went up as he started to wag his tail a bit, slowly and cautiously walking over to Elena when she said his name. "Duke, come here.." Stefan looked down at her as Elena looked up at him and smiled when Duke nuzzled up against her, sitting in front of her and began licking her hands.

"How the hell did you do that?" Stefan asked, stepping out from the leash that Duke had wrapped around his ankles when he got of the car.

"You just need to be at their level. Now, about the dog...You obviously seem like a very busy man and the dog really seems to hate you. It's obvious, because you barely got him to listen to you when you wanted him out of this really nice overly expensive sports car. Well, it got me thinking. I can train him for you, take care of him here in Miami and help you build a relationship with him. Under one condition. Mind you, my aunt doesn't want anything to do with you and neither do I. Although, I think we'll both benefit from this little agreement." Elena explained, getting up from position near the ground. Stefan watched as she wiped her hands on to her jeans and she smiled up at him, her brown eyes full of hope.

"Ha, you want to make a deal with me? Look..Miss-" Stefan began to say, watching Elena extend out her hand to him as she grinned. "It's Elena. Elena Gilbert."

Stefan smiled again, laughing a little and tugging on Duke's leash. "Miss Gilbert. I don't have time to be driving back and forth from here and the Florida Keys, where I live...I just-. Whatever deal you probably won't be worth my time. Because, you're right- I am a very busy man."

"Oh, if you'd just listen to me, then it could be worth your time. I'll come to you then. I can help my aunt during the days she needs me and on my off days. You and I can meet at your place. So that I can help you get to like this dog a bit more. Since, you're both obviously struggling with each other." Elena said in a hopeful tone, hearing Stefan chuckle as he licked his lips and pinched the back of his neck when he locked his gaze on to her, his eyes were full of irritation.

"To be honest, I could care less about my relationship with him. But, I am curious as to what's in this deal for you?" He questioned, hearing Elena let out a huffed out breath, smiling widely when she replied in a firm and serious tone. "I help you train the dog and you give my aunt Jenna an extension along with everyone else here. You allow her to keep her company here, meanwhile find another location for your precious apartment buildings that you'll _'profit off nicely'_ Was that how you had said it?"

Stefan sighed as he looked over at Elena who had her hand extended out towards him, a serious look in her eyes when she added. "Like I said- even though my aunt and I really don't want to make a deal with you because your an expensive suit wearing big wig with an ego the size of your head. This agreement isn't about you, it's about my aunt and helping her. So this would benefit us both, and personally- you really look like you could use some help. What do you say Mr. Salvatore, do we have a deal?"

* * *

**A/N: Stefan's kind of an over privileged jerk in this story and if you haven't noticed..I made him a bit older than Elena in this story. ;) So, what do you all think..Will he agree to her little deal on helping him with Duke and in turn Elena helps Jenna's struggling business? **

**Please let me know what you all thought about this chapter & feel free to leave a review!**

**-Until Next Time!- **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey guys! Thank you all so much for the reviews! They truly mean so much to me. :) So glad that you guys are liking this story so far too. **

**Anyways, here's Ch.3 and Please let me know what you think about it. Love hearing what you all have to say.**

**Enjoy & Thanks for reading! **

* * *

**Must Love Dogs- Chapter Three **

He stood back, tugging Duke's leash and placing him in the back of the car, before turning his attention back to her. Elena watched as Stefan straightened out his suit and looked down at her hand before speaking softly. "This won't change anything, Miss Gilbert. I already have a plan to tear this building down. Surely, a girl like you won't win me over in changing my business plans or my life with attempting to train this dog. I have a very successful real estate agency to run. And, this deal that you're wanting to make with me- It's not going to change anything. I'm sorry, Elena. But, the answer is no. I don't need your help and my dog doesn't need a trainer. How old are you anyways, 18?" Stefan asked her, watching Elena's brown eyes widen as she huffed out a breath and clutched her fists tightly against her palms. He was just as Jenna had described him. A arrogant asshole, someone who clearly thought that all that mattered was money!

" No, I'm 24 actually. And, that's fine with me. You don't want to make a deal with me? Ha, good luck with the destructive dog you have sitting in your car then. He's chewing on your seatbelt. By the way." Elena pointed out, gazing over to see Stefan tug on Duke's collar through the open window, scolding him.

"I guess I'm done here. Look, if you change your mind. Mr. Salvatore..You know where to find me. I'll be here, working my ass off to save my aunt's dog grooming salon- you know the one that you want so badly to get rid of!" Elena commented, exhaling deeply and pivoting on her heels as she heard Stefan let out a small annoyed laugh.

"Do you even know who I am?" Stefan asked her, leaning back against his car and running a hand through his hair, his intense green gaze cutting into her. It was almost like he was undressing her with his eyes.

"Oh, I'm well aware. You're the asshole who's trying to take everything that my aunt has worked her whole life for. And, I'm the girl who won't let you. I think you've run into a road block with your plans." Elena told him, a smirk forming across her lips as she licked them and placed her hands across her chest, hoping that Stefan would stop scanning her body up and down with his heavy intriguing glances.

"What? In You? Ha, that's the funniest thing that I have ever heard. Elena..Miss Gilbert. I've dealt with many women like you and trust me..They always end up caving in and falling to my feet." He told her with a wink, watching as Elena gulped down the bile that formed into her throat as he spoke.

"Oh, I'm sure they do a lot more than fall at your feet. Trust me. I'm not your average awe struck girl. I know who you are. Mr. Salvatore and I'm not interested at all. I just thought that I'd try to help you out with that dog. But, standing here and listening to you talk. Is driving me crazy. So, I'm really happy that you declined my offer. Now, will you excuse me. I need to go." Elena replied to him, watching as Stefan placed his hands into his pockets, smirking at her as he licked his lips once more and exhaled deeply, watching as she turned back to walk towards the building.

"You'll be seeing me a lot in the next few months. Miss Gilbert. I suggest you get over the annoyance that my voice causes you. And as for the dog. I can handle him all by myself." He told her, watching Elena wave him off as she turned back around just slightly and added. "Oh, I highly doubt that. But, good luck trying it. Goodbye now, Stefan."

* * *

"You were right! He's an absolute ass!" Elena ranted, rolling her eyes and sitting down in one of the office chairs that was near Jenna's desk.

Jenna smiled at her sweetly, laughing a little as she rolled up her sleeves to her long gray colored t-shirt. "I know he is. So, what happened out there?" She asked Elena, watching her turn in the chair to face her aunt.

"I tried making a deal with that arrogant rich jerk and he said no!" Elena commented, sliding down the chair until her whole body nearly hit the carpet, glancing up at Jenna who didn't even look that surprised.

"Elena. I know that it was on behalf of me. But, I've begged him and his brother for months. I've told them that I'll do anything I need to do to save this place and yet, neither of them would listen to me. I'm sorry sweetheart. But, there isn't anything else that we haven't tried and I'm at a loss." Jenna explained in a sorrowful tone, watching Elena lift herself back up into her chair, tapping her fingernails against the desk in front of her, trying to think about what she could possibly do to change their minds.

"What about a distraction?" She asked Jenna. Hearing her aunt let out a small laugh, shaking her head when she threw a magazine called "The Florida Sun" on top of the desk, glancing over to see Elena's brown gaze widen and her mouth nearly drop open.

"He's now the CEO and he was one of the main real estate developer's for the company!" Elena nearly shriek, not even thinking that such a young face like Stefan's could hold such a huge title when it came to business ventures.

Jenna nodded, stepping closer to Elena and pointing her index finger to the front page of the magazine that had Stefan and Rebekah's faces both on it. Rebekah tightly wrapped around his waistline like a snake in a high and very revealing red dress, her smiling face beaming with joy as she glanced over at Stefan who was wearing a black suit with a plain white button up underneath the jacket and a red tie that matched Rebekah's dress.

"They are very well known in Florida, Elena. The blonde lady is actually is ex-wife now. It was reported that after months of rumors circulating, that in fact. Rebekah Salvatore was leaving him for someone else. So, as far as distractions go at the moment. I'm pretty sure that Stefan has women falling all over themselves to get a piece of him and his money." Jenna explained, watching as Elena picked up the magazine into her hands and smirked a bit. "Oh, I bet he does." She commented, rolling her eyes at the thought of women lining up in front of him. It made her stomach churn with disgust.

"They have a charity auction every year. Huge extravagant events thrown at the older brother's house. His wife is like this huge clothing designer and she just will find any excuse to have a lavish party and show off their wealth. I feel pretty bad for their 4 year old daughter, Izzie. She has to attend every single one of them. But, I'm pretty sure that she's spent her whole life being raised by nanny's." She elaborated more as Elena leaned back into her chair and closed her eyes, still thinking about a way she could get Stefan to stop his plans and then, it dawned on her.

"Wait, they have these events every year? Do you have to be invited to go?" Elena questioned, watching as Jenna nodded and opened up the magazine in front of her niece, reading off a part of the article.

"It says here that..October is the main month for them. Katherine and Damon Salvatore throw a charity auction in honor of Katherine's mother who died a few years ago from an undisclosed illness. But, every year Stefan and Rebekah attend. Doesn't say anything about being invited to go. But, I'm sure you have to be." Jenna told her, hearing Elena exhaled deeply as she grabbed a hold of Jenna's wrist and squeezed down tightly.

"What if I get him to like me by then. October is just a few months away and I can do it. I can wedge my way into his life. Look, that dog that he has, Jenna. It's a monster. Stefan won't be able to handle him by himself. Trust me, that dog is my loophole and my way into to change his mind about ruining our lives." Elena commented, leaning back into her chair when she heard Jenna ask. "So, if he can't handle that German Shepard. What makes you think that you can?"

Elena smirked, her brown eyes glistening when she spoke with a straight and determined facial expression. "Because, I know how to be at their level. But, it's not just that- trust me. He'll be back here soon. However, I've also noticed that our dear Mr. Salvatore has a fondness for beautiful women too and with the right makeup and clothing. I'm pretty damn sure that I can get under his skin in more ways than one. It'll take some time of course. But, don't worry Jenna. I'm going to change his mind and I'm going to save your salon. The best part of it all is that Stefan Salvatore won't have even any idea what hit him."

* * *

"Have dinner with me tonight." Caroline suggested to him, her voice pleading as she spoke into the phone and heard Stefan inhale sharply. He was completely reluctant and she knew that if she kept pressing about it that he'd eventually give in- he could never resist her!

"Caroline, I don't know. I have to drop Duke off back home. I'm driving back from this ridiculous meeting I just had with one of these renters who are renting out a space and the woman has this niece that is just totally annoying. I'm a bit irritated by it and I haven't slept well at all lately. Look, I just-."

"Stefan, come on! I know you and I know that you're going to go home to that empty house, sit in it and drink beers all night until you and that dog are passed out on the floor from over eating because you're both depressed without Rebekah. Just please. Come over for dinner. Besides, I'm not the one cooking. Damon and Katherine are and they want you here. They miss you." Caroline explained, listening as Stefan went silent for a moment until he spoke again.

"Well, if you're not the one cooking..In that case-." He began to say, Caroline's laughter cutting him off as she said. "Shut up and just come over already!"

Stefan smiled a bit, eyes focusing heavily on the road in front of him as he exhaled deeply and quickly agreed. "Fine. I'll be over in a little bit. But, if this is your guys intervention dinner. I'm not interested." He told her in a warning tone, hearing as Caroline laughed.

"It's not. It's just dinner with your brother, your niece and his wife. Also, me of course." Caroline told him, hopefulness in her tone as Stefan sighed and then agreed.

"Okay, okay. You've made your point. I'll see you soon." He told her, hanging up the cell phone in his hands and glancing over to look at Duke who had his head sticking out of the rolled down car window. "I'll bring you home left overs if you're a good dog tonight and don't screw up my house while I'm gone. Damon's making streak and pasta." He commented with a laugh, shaking his head when he saw Duke's head swing back inside of the car and he glanced up at him with huge brown eyes.

* * *

"Uncle Stefan will be here in a little bit." Katherine said, leaning down and kissing the top of Izzie's head as she watched her daughter gaze up at her with an excited expression on her face.

"Yes! Maybe me and Uncle Stefan can play Barbie's together." She said with a pure and honest, excited tone as Katherine smoothed down her daughter's black hair and smiled sweetly at her.

"Maybe you two can. After dinner though. Let's go wash up and you can help mommy and Caroline with making the sweets for tonight." Katherine told her, lifting up Izzie into her arms as she wrapped her arms around her mom's neck and smiled.

Katherine held her daughter tightly as they walked into the kitchen, hearing Damon talking to Caroline about how worried he was about Stefan.

"All I'm saying is that to get over Rebekah. Stefan needs to stop feeling so sorry for himself. I mean, come on. It was inevitable. The divorce was coming between them and the only person that didn't see it was Stefan because he was too busy with making plans to take over the company from being a developer to becoming the CEO of SD Realty and still deciding if he event wanted to keep his side gig of being the real estate developer. Which now we all know that he didn't want to give that up either. He's burying himself in work, he's doing both roles and-." Damon began to elaborate as Katherine cleared her throat when she turned and heard the door swing open, Stefan stepping inside of the house.

"Uncle Stefan!" Izzie shouted, squirming out of Katherine's grip and running directly towards him. They all watched as his once gloomy face lit up at the sight of her and she wrapped both her arms and legs around him tightly.

"Hi, Iz. How are you, princess?" He asked her as he leaned into her and kissed her cheeks, making it seem like they were the only people in the large open floor plan of Damon and Katherine's kitchen.

"Good. I missed you though." She confessed, her blue eyes glistening as he smiled and kissed her forehead, placing her down on to the ground when she grabbed a hold of his hand and dragged him over to her parents.

"Stefan. Good to see you- out and about." Damon remarked, watching as he rolled his eyes at his older brother's words and leaned against the dark gray marble kitchen counter top, smiling at both Katherine and Caroline who now had their hands full with finishing up dinner.

"Look, I came here to eat and to spend some time with my family. So, can we just do that?" Stefan asked them, looking over to see Caroline and Katherine both nudge Damon as he cleared his throat and nodded, a gleeful smile spreading across his face.

"Sure. Why not? So, how was your day?" Damon asked him, changing the subject briskly as he watched his brother sit down at their glass dining table, sliding Izzie into his lap when she wrapped her arms around his that were around her little waistline.

"It was decent. Although, I had to deal with this really annoying woman today. She looked like she was going to be nice. But, she turned out to be a major. Bit-." Stefan stopped himself as he looked down at Izzie and then quickly corrected his train of thought with. "She was just really rude."

"Ha. Let me guess. She's one of the renter's from the building that your trying to tear down?" Damon asked him, walking over to the stainless steel fridge, opening it and pulling out two beers as he walked back over to Stefan with a bottle opener in his hands and placed them both on to the table, sitting down across from his brother.

"No. Actually, she's the woman's niece." Stefan explained in a flat and emotionless tone, taking the ice cold beer bottle from where Damon was sitting and pushing it towards himself a bit more.

"Well, is she pretty at least?" Damon questioned him, watching as Katherine came up from his side, placing a bowl of pasta Alfredo on to the table with a huge smile on her face, looking over at Stefan and then back to her husband.

"Yeah, surprisingly. She is. But, she reminds me of Rebekah. So, that would never work out. Besides, I want someone who I actually enjoy spending my time with." He told them in a soft tone as they all heard a loud crash come from the kitchen, a low voiced curse word being mumbled out of Caroline's mouth.

"I'll...Be right back." Katherine said quickly, patting Damon on the shoulder as she turned around and briskly walked into the kitchen, bending down to where Caroline who was now crouching had dropped a plate. She was picking up pieces of the white china set that had broken at her feet from overhearing Stefan talk.

Just when Caroline's shaking hands began to pick up the pieces, she watched Katherine grab her wrist, a saddened look on her face as she whispered so that they were the only two that could hear. "You need to tell him, Caroline." She commented, watching Caroline's blue eyes give her a confused look, a nervous laugh escaping past her lips when she pulled her wrist away from Katherine and brushed a strand of her blonde hair behind her ears.

"What do I need to tell him, exactly..Katherine? There is nothing to say. He...He'd think I was ridiculous." She stated, lifting herself up off the floor when Katherine did the same and they both glanced over at Stefan as she leaned into Caroline's ear and whispered. "You need to tell him that you're in love with him. That you've been in love with him since you were 6 years old. Because if you don't. You'll regret it. And, it's not ridiculous. It's the truth."

* * *

**A/N:Hmmm..So, Caroline's in love with Stefan? Oh, I think thing's just got very interested. And, Elena's determined to help Jenna out. :) **

**So, what do you guys think? Will Caroline make her confession? **

**Follow me on Twitter for updates at: Be_Passionate24**

**-Until Next Time!- **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey all. Here's CH.4! I just wanted to say thank you guys so much for reading and reviewing this story. Every review means a lot to me and I love that you all are liking this story so far. :) **

**So, enjoy & thank you so much for reading! **

**Follow me on Twitter for updates at:Be_Passionate24 **

* * *

**Must Love Dogs- Chapter Four **

It was true. Caroline Forbes had been in love with Stefan Salvatore for so long now that she had never really thought of ever not loving him. Everything about Stefan made Caroline smile and happy. Even when she was in college and had just broken up with her boyfriend at the time, Tyler Lockwood. Caroline had knocked on Stefan's dorm room in the middle of the night, sobbing and shaking from the cold winter night as Stefan took her inside and helped her understand why Tyler just didn't want to be in her life anymore. Saying that it wasn't her, most likely during their time in college that the dynamics of Caroline and Tyler's relationship had shifted and it could have been that's what drove Tyler away.

He made them both a cup of hot chocolate and they sat and talked, for hours. Eventually, the thoughts of how hard it was for Caroline to think about being with someone else vanished when Stefan leaned over towards her and said. "You'll be just fine, Caroline. I promise you that one day. You'll find someone who makes you laugh, who loves you for who you are and who will help you heal your broken heart. He's out there somewhere, you probably just haven't met him yet."

"I know." She had sniffled when she leaned her head against his shoulder and felt him wrap his arms around her, stroking her hair gently. They had a history together, growing up together as little kids and living right next door to each other in their large suburban neighborhood had helped build their bond as well. Caroline knew nearly everything about him and his family. She had been by his side when his father handed him the keys to SD Realty and told him that it was all now up to him and Damon to run the company. Caroline Forbes had also been such a huge part of the Salvatore family over the years that when Damon had gotten married to Katherine, Caroline was asked to be a part of it all. She had gone dress showing with Katherine and had helped pick out the brides maid dresses, eventually landing herself the spot of maid of honor in Damon and Katherine's wedding party.

Although, recently. She had also seen Stefan spiral into oblivion which made her more than worried for what would happen if anything else came his way that was a little too much handle. However, Caroline knew that Stefan could handle just about anything and that he never gave himself enough credit for it, always saying hiding behind his strong and masculine attitude of 'nothing could ever hurt him.'

As Caroline slowly got up from hovering above the broken china dish in the kitchen and smiled, she watched Stefan get up from his seat too and walk over to her, pulling her along with him into the spacious living room at his brother's house, ignoring the small talk that was going on in the kitchen when he gently pushed Caroline back against the wall and took her hand into his, examining it cautiously.

"Your hand is bleeding." He pointed out, talking to her sweetly as she glanced up at him, her voice shaking when she spoke.

"It's nothing. It's totally fine. Stefan. I should probably get going and let you spend time with your family. I have a lot of work to do once I get home and a long day tomorrow." She tried to explain as he took a step back and smiled at her, his best friend that he cared so much about.

"Stay, Caroline. Come and have dinner with us. I'm sure that Katherine made enough food to feed an army in there. Just..Please stay." He commented, locking his green gaze on to her as she exhaled deeply and shook her head at him.

"I can't, Stefan. I'm sorry." She replied once more, looking around the room to make her quick exit. She couldn't be around him anymore, she couldn't keep her feelings in check and at any minute- she was bound to do something completely irrational just based off of her emotions alone and the sweet, worried look in his eyes that he had for her.

"Just for a little bit longer. I feel like ever since I got married to Rebekah that you and I haven't spent time together like we used to. We were close and I miss that, Care. I miss you." He told her in his most earnest tone, watching Caroline push a strand of her hair behind her ears, clearing her throat nervously when she added. "I miss you too. But, I can't sit around and listen to you talk about how much Rebekah hurt you anymore."

Stefan tilted his head to the side, exhaling and glancing down at the the dark brown wooden floor beneath their feet. He knew what she was saying. But, it was still hard for him to grasp that even if he didn't want to talk about Rebekah, her name or a memory of her still manged to pop up casually in the conversations he was having with friends or family.

"I'm sorry. I just...If it bothers you, I won't talk about it anymore. I've always known that you never really liked her anyway." He told her as he watched a smile creep up and spread across Caroline's face.

"I didn't and I really never have. She wasn't good for you. But, Stefan. I really need to get going..." She told him, hoping that he's just drop the subject all together and let her leave. Caroline took a step in front of him as she felt his cool hand touch her arm, stopping her from going to the light mocha colored couch behind them where her Marc Jacobs bag sat.

"Why are you in such a hurry to leave, Caroline? I just told you that I missed you and that we need to spend more time together as friends and that having dinner with me could help our friendship." He said again, catching her gaze as she exhaled and locked her eyes on to him. There it was again. That pesky word that she hated so much when it came to their relationship...'friends.'

"Because, I can't stand to be around you anymore." She confessed, tears welling up into her eyes as she felt Stefan's hand drop back to his side and he gave her a confused look.

"What? What did I do to you?" He asked, taking a few more steps back and watching Caroline fold her arms across her chest, inhaling sharply before she finally confessed the one truth that had been eating away at her for years.

"It's nothing you did, it's how you make me feel. You could never do anything to make me hate you. But, I don't trust myself around you, Stefan. Because, my emotions and my heart will betray me- like they are now..." Her voice cracked, wiping away her tears as she smiled at him again and watched him scratch his head.

"What are you talking about, Care. We're friends. How could your heart betray you around me...I-." His mouth instantly closed when she cut him off and nearly shouted into the still and quiet living room. "Because, I have spent years of my life watching you throw yourself away for women that hurt you and I just...I can't stand by anymore and see you hurt. I know you're going through a tough time because of Rebekah. But, I'm thankful that she's finally gone and out of your life. Stefan, I love you and I can't be around you right now because I can't listen to how much you loved her. I'm sorry, I have to go." Caroline uttered out, a feeling of embarrassment washing over her as she quickly brushed past him and grabbed her purse, ready to bolt out of the door. But, his voice stopped her as she opened the door and stepped out of the house quickly. "We need to talk about this, Caroline. Your feelings for me. You and I need to talk about this!"

Stefan watched as Caroline turned back around, tears cascading down her rosy red cheeks, her long blonde hair whipping around with her when she gazed up at him and said. "There isn't anything else to say, Stefan. Because, I know that you will never love me as much as I love you. In your eyes, you and I will always 'just be friends' and nothing I can say or do. Will ever change your mind."

* * *

The house was a modest and smaller ranch style house, with a few palm trees in the front that faced the back of a golf course. It had a bright turquoise colored paint color on it which made Elena squint her eyes at it for a while. It was getting dark outside and even though it was a bit hard to see, Elena was pretty sure that the paint color on Jenna's house could be seen from outer space just because it was that bright and accented with white trim around the door frame and four windows on the front of the house, even the five steps that lead up to the front door where painted white as well.

"Ha, I keep telling Alaric that he needs to repaint it and every summer we talk about it. He ends up taking me on a few days of a road trip vacation. He says that I work too hard for what I want." Jenna elaborated as Elena smiled at her and grabbed the door handle on the passenger side, ready to jump out of the car.

"So, how long have you and Alaric lived here. I know that mom said that you both lived some place other than Florida for a while. But, I had overheard that on the phone once and I never really asked her more about it." Elena told her, watching Jenna open her door right before shutting the car off and pulling the keys completely out of the ignition.

"We've lived here forever it seems. About 5 years. It was our second home after we got married. The last one we lived in was starting to feel a bit cramped once we adopted the two dogs. Elena, you're going to love it here and I promise you that I'll take good care of you. Thank you for coming out here to help me. I appreciate it." Jenna told her, leaning across the console in the car and grabbing a hold of Elena's hand, giving it a tight squeeze.

"Now, let's go get you all settled in and have you meet my husband!" She said in an excited tone, jumping out of the car briskly and shutting the door as she went around to the trunk and began pulling out Elena's suitcases.

* * *

"So, Elena. How's your brother and family back home in Oregon doing?" Alaric asked, taking a bite into the piece of chicken in his hands as Jenna handed him a napkin and shook her head, smiling.

"He doesn't have many manners. I'm sorry." Jenna said with a laugh, getting up to head back into their kitchen as Elena felt one of the dogs come up to her and sniff her feet, deciding that laying beside her until a piece of food dropped onto the floor was a good idea.

"The family is doing good. Jeremy's been with the same girlfriend for a few years now, they've moved in together. My mom and dad have been working and traveling for awhile. And, I finished college and decided to come out here to help Jenna out." Elena said with a truthful tone and beaming smile as she felt one of the dogs begin to lick her skin.

"If he's bothering you just give him a piece of chicken, he'll go away quickly." Alaric commented as he leaned down under the table and pulled Samson, the large white and gray husky away from his spot near Elena.

"It's fine. I like dogs, well behaved ones." She said with a smile, watching Alaric wipe his hands as he cleared his throat and asked. "Speaking of dogs. So, what are your plans for helping out at Jenna's grooming shop?" Alaric asked her, tilting his head to the side and watching Elena pick up the cold ice water in her hands, taking a sip before placing it back down and replying to his question.

"Mostly receptionist work and maybe doing training sessions with them a few times a week, I took a few classes in college about animal behavior because I almost wanted to go into veterinarian school and I really like the idea of doing basic training with animals. But, I changed my major in the middle of the year because it was too expensive and I went into the arts, instead. I really want to be an art dealer and maybe open my own gallery, have other people put their paintings in it." She explained to him as she watched Jenna come back in with a bowl of warm and delicious smelling cinnamon rolls.

"I know it's usually a morning thing. But, I didn't have time to run to the store today. So, they're sadly from a can." Jenna told them as she heard both Alaric and Elena laugh when she placed the warm batch on the table.

"It's totally fine. I'm just glad that I'm finally here with you two. And, as far as not being able to run to the store, I get it. You were pretty busy." She said as Jenna sat down next to Alaric and he smiled at her, staring at her side profile for a bit before he spoke.

"Pretty busy? I thought you said that you weren't going to be working today.." His voice trailed off as Jenna exhaled out a sigh and looked down at the cinnamon roll in her hands, picking at it nervously.

"I didn't. I just went in to pick up a few things at the shop and things got a little complicated." She told him as he placed his hand on the back of her chair, causing Jenna to lock her eyes on to his.

"What?" She asked.

"How did they get complicated, Jenna. What happened today at the shop?" He questioned her as she took a bite of the sticky bread she had on her plate, chewing and swallowing it before she finally confessed.

"Stefan Salvatore showed up at the shop this morning and told me that we only have 3 more months before he tears down the building. He gave me my eviction notice early. He's going to ruin everything, Alaric. And, I don't know what to do anymore." She said, tears welling up in her eyes as she felt his hand under her chin, lifting her face so that she was staring directly at him.

"Well, take care of it, Jenna. I promise. Stefan Salvatore is a man without a conscious and he's greedy too. He needs to be put in his place." Alaric said in a sharp tone, leaning into his wife as he kissed her forehead and then he heard Elena state. "He needs to be put into his place and I know just the person who can do that for you both. He needs to learn that he can't always get what he wants."

Elena watched as Alaric gave her a confused look and asked. "And, how are you going to do that? You don't even know him, at all."

Elena exhaled deeply. Spinning a piece of her brown hair in between her fingers and smiling widely when she added. "I'm going to be the one to ruin his plans and he doesn't even know it yet. Because, I may not know him very well- yet. However, I know men like him and none of them can resist a smart and beautiful woman for very long. It's the one thing that powerful men fear, someone who can go head to head with them and that is exactly what I'm going to do to Stefan Salvatore. Just wait and see, he's going to wish he never set foot into Jenna's salon. I promise you that."

* * *

**A/N: So Caroline finally confessing that she loves him is going to send Stefan into a weird place for a bit and shift their relationship in an unexpected way. Although, something tells me that Stefan's going to be too busy with Elena Gilbert very soon and not in the way you all think! ;) **

**Please feel free to leave a review & let me know what your think about this story/ update. **

**-Until Next Time!- **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey all! I've been really busy with things. But, I'm finally updating. Thanks so much for your patience. :)**

**Enjoy & Thanks for reading! **

* * *

**Must Love Dogs- Chapter Five **

Stefan couldn't get Caroline's words out of his head, for as much as he had tried, he kept tossing and turning at night, trying to prevent himself from thinking about it her. He rolled over to hear Duke exhaling deeply, whimpering in his sleep and seeming to shake a bit as Stefan placed his hand on to the dog's fur, waking him up and grumbling under his breath. "I like you a hell of a lot more when you're sleeping and not causing any destruction. You know that? I'm sure you do. But, really Duke, out of all the shoes you decide to chew on in the house, you went for my Prada dress shoes..Buddy, I just spent $695 dollars for those, not cool."

Stefan felt Duke's body shift up, shaking his head as he jumped off the bed, causing Stefan to turn towards his alarm clock. It was early, around 4:30 in the morning and he wondered if Caroline was even awake by now, part of him wanted to call her to talk about the other night and just as Stefan thought about it some more, leaning over to place another pillow over his eyes, he heard his cell phone go off.

"Unbelievable, who could it be now." He mumbled as he lifted himself up and placed his hand onto his Iphone, swiping his finger across the screen to see a familiar name flashing across it. "Do you even know what time it is, here?" He asked as he answered, hearing a laugh escape out of the mouth from the person on the other line.

"Bonjour Stefan!" The man said in a British accent, laughing to himself and exhaling deeply before he continued to speak. "So, how's my little sister doing? I'm currently in Paris, just thought I would call to see how you and Rebekah are doing. The rumors aren't true, are they?" Klaus asked.

Klaus Mikealson had always been Stefan's closest friend out of every one of Rebekah's family members and over the years, the two had formed a close bond with each other. Klaus was a businessman as well, he had been the one to show Stefan almost everything he needed to know to keep his real estate business afloat and because of Klaus, Stefan had established himself fairly quickly making SD Realty an even more well known company.

"The rumor's have gone international, now?" Stefan asked, rubbing his hand over his face vigorously and exhaling deeply at the thought. It was bad enough that nearly all of the nation knew about Stefan Salvatore's marital problems and now, Europe knew as well?!

"No, they haven't. I'm just teasing you, Stefan. Listen, my sister...She loves you. You know. Damon called me a few days ago and told me about what happened between the two of you. So, did she really leave you the dog and the house?" Klaus asked him, hearing Stefan inhale deeply, when Klaus remarked about Rebekah loving him.

Maybe she had loved him once, long ago. But, over the years, their love had turned toxic and it wasn't healthy being around each other. Although, Stefan couldn't help but wonder about where she had gone after she had packed up all of her things and left him so suddenly.

"Klaus, tell me that she isn't in Paris right now with you, is that why you're calling me..Please, just-." Stefan began to say as Klaus cut him off.

"She isn't. I actually have no idea where Rebekah is or who she's with. I just, I wanted to call and make sure that you were doing okay. Stefan, just because the two of you are divorced. It doesn't mean that our friendship has to change. I mean, for god sakes, I was the one who made you two happen." He commented with a laugh, hearing Stefan laugh as well, slowly getting up from his bed and hearing Duke bark from inside of the kitchen.

"Yeah, I guess so. Klaus, I hate to cut this phone call short. But, maybe it's better since I don't really want you paying an arm and a leg for a long distance phone call to make sure that I'm not falling apart because your sister left me. Trust me, Klaus. I'm fine." Stefan confirmed, getting up from his bed and walking towards the sound of Duke's increased barking.

"I'm a man with a lot of money, Stefan. If I want to call you at anytime and anywhere in the world, I will. Besides, I wasn't just checking up on you. I was also calling to let you know that I'm leaving Paris in a few days and coming back to the states, I'll need a place to stay, was wondering if I could stay with you for a few days, until I find a new place to live." Klaus told him in a serious tone.

Stefan smiled, leaning against the door frame in his bed room as he looked around his empty house and jokingly commented. "Well,if you wanted too. You could stay here..You know, I have a big empty house now, you could stay in one of the four guest rooms." Before Stefan could even comprehend what he had said, he heard Klaus laugh and quickly reply. "Great, I'll see you next week. Roomie!"

"Wait, I-..Shit! Klaus, Hello..Klaus?" Stefan said in a hurried tone, nearly slamming the wall with his fist as he stopped himself and exhaled deeply, realizing that Klaus had hung up on him and that he had practically invited himself to stay at Stefan's. Having Klaus Mikaelson stay with him for a few days wouldn't be that horrible, since they got a long so well. Although, that meant that if Klaus would be occupying a room in the house that there would be a large chance that Rebekah would get the news of him being in town and try to visit. Which was something that Stefan, wasn't happy about or looking forward to.

* * *

"You've got to be kidding me!" Damon commented, rolling down the windows to his black 911 Porsche as he parked the car and turned towards his younger brother who looked more angered than excited about his soon to be new living arrangements.

"Yeah, Klaus is coming back into town and he pretty much invited himself to stay with me. Damon, it was 4 in the morning when he called me, I was too tired to even make a coherent conversation with anyone except for that damn slobbering German Sheppard that takes up half my bed and likes to eat my Prada dress shoes for breakfast!" Stefan commented, opening the door and looking up at the house in front of them.

"So, how's Izzie doing?" Stefan asked Damon, trying to change the subject as he watched his older brother nod and smile at the mention of his daughter's name.

"She's good. Getting spoiled by her mother. Stefan...I need some advice." Damon commented suddenly, watching Stefan glance up at him with a smile on his face.

"You want advice. On what exactly?" He questioned, watching Damon get out of the car, locking the doors as they slowly walked up the drive way towards the large staircase in front of them that lead up to the front door of their father, Giuseppe's house.

"It's Katherine. Every since we had Izzie. Our relationship has been lacking in the bedroom." Damon confessed, watching Stefan shake his head, laughing a little and patting his older brother on the back softly. "At least you aren't divorced and having your ex-brother in law come stay with you..And, at least you're not dad...who is also divorced from mom and probably working on wife or mistress number unknown." Stefan said, looking up at his father's estate.

The house was a large ranch style property, a three story home that had a golf course backing it and a large pond beside it, ducks swarming the yard. The house had large windows, similar to Stefan's which were all nearly floor to ceiling windows in the front of the house. The columns were all a cream colored stone that blended into the green rocky landscape in the front lawn.

"You know, I've always wondered why dad's hated grass for the front lawn, I don't get this whole desert look that he has going on when he's got a large pond and ducks in the back of the house.

"Damn birds!" Damon and Stefan heard loudly from the backyard in a pissed off and frantic tone, a loud and booming shot gun sounding off in the background as a scream filled the air.

"What in the hell is he doing?" Stefan asked, turning towards Damon who was sprinting towards the open backyard of his father's property.

"I don't know. But, it sounds like he's trying to chase them off with the shot gun." Damon commented laughing, running towards the backyard and looking up towards the massive wooden deck where he looked up to see his father sitting in a lawn chair with a tooth pick in his mouth, a rifle in his arms.

"Damon, Stefan! You boys came!" Giuseppe commented gleefully, briskly springing up from his chair as he walked down the stairs, before putting the hunting gun down on the ground and embraced Damon who was standing near the bottom of the small staircase that went up towards the patio that had a barbeque pit and a large lounging area.

"Of course we did. Dad, why are you out here with a rifle, it isn't even hunting season and, wait- it's not loaded is it?" Stefan asked him, looking around to see that none of the birds were injured, instead they had just flocked to another area of the sprawling 10 acre property when the shots rang out.

"I'm retired boys. I can do whatever the hell I damn well please and if I want to hunt those pesky birds in my own backyard, I can. I'm a 61 year old man, I don't need your commentary about my life- I'm too old for that. Will you both just calm down and sit with your old man- I didn't kill or hurt any of them. I just scared them away from my yard. So, sit and have a drink with me?" Giuseppe asked them both, stepping aside and calling out a woman's name as Damon and Stefan both gave each other puzzled looks.

"Rose, get your cute little ass out here!" He yelled, pulling up a chair for Stefan to sit in as he watched both of his sons sit across from each other at the patio table that held seats for around 10 people.

"Rose? Is she a new girlfriend?" Damon asking in a joking manner, looking inside of the house, attempting to get a glimpse of the mysterious woman who seemed to be living with their father. Ever since Giuseppe had divorced their mother, Maria- a few months before he had told Stefan that he was giving him SD Realty, things had been uneasy between their parents and their mother had taken it all the hardest, she had moved into a condo that was closer to Stefan's house and she hadn't really kept in contact with their father, only on special occasions like birthdays and other events that they both ended up attending, in support of their sons.

"Damon. Son, She's your new mother." Giuseppe commented in a joyous tone as Stefan and Damon nearly choked on their own salvia when the long legged brunette with a pixie looking hair cut came out of the house, holding a tray that had four glasses of ice water on them.

"Dad, she looks like she could be someone I would pick up at a bar if I wasn't married." Damon said in a whispered tone, watching Rose place the glasses down and turn back towards the sliding door. Although, just when she smiled at them. Both Stefan and Damon locked eyes as they watched their father slap his new brides backside. "Thanks babe." He told her, hearing her laugh as she smiled and glanced at them.

"I'll be back in a few minutes to say hi properly. Let me just bring out some appetizer's that I made." Rose said, walking back towards the house as Stefan leaned towards his father and added. "Dad, we can't really stay that-." He began to say as Damon smiled and slapped his hand over the glass table.

"Nonsense, Stefan. We're staying..This should be interesting. Besides, we have a lot to learn about our new 'mother.'" Damon commented, watching Stefan lean back against his chair and exhale deeply, adding what was about to happen into his list of most awkward family gatherings.

* * *

"So, Rose. When did you and our good old dad meet?" Damon asked, picking up a piece of the cheese and crackers that she had placed in between the three men.

"Well, your father was stepping out for a checkup at the doctor's office, where I happened to be working as a receptionist and I overheard him talking about how he needed someone to help him clean his house on the days that he was busy. So, I gave him my card and the next day, he hired me." Rose said with a sweet tone, a huge smile on her face as she grabbed a hold of Giuseppe's hand, squeezing it tightly.

"Well, isn't that nice, Stefan. They met at a doctor's office. Hmm, it must have been love at first sight." Damon teased, leaning back into his chair and picking up his drink as he watched Stefan squirm uncomfortably in his seat. "Will you excuse me for a moment, I..need to go back to the car and make a quick phone call." Stefan said, getting up from his seat, turning his back towards his brother, nodding at him as Damon looked at his watch around his wrist and coughed out a breath.

"Woah, look at the time. Stefan, don't we have that meeting in Miami about that dog groomer's shop. Weren't you going to show me the blueprints for the new apartments too?" Damon asked, watching Stefan nod as he watched Damon get up and follow him down the stairs, telling their father and Rose that he was sorry that the visit was cut so short.

"Work calls. But, we'll make sure to come by again this week and I'll even bring Izzie, so that she can see her favorite Grandpa." Damon said with a wink, leaning down and kissing Rose's hand as he gave his dad a hug and followed Stefan back towards the driveway, back to Damon's car.

"What in the hell was that Damon? We see him less than we see mom because, you know. Dad always has a new girlfriend or wife...So, which one is that poor lady.. mistress #8 and wife #2? She's young enough to be an older sister of ours!" Stefan commented in an agitated tone, straightening out the collar on his dark blue polo as he heard the car doors unlock and he slide into the passenger side.

"I have no idea, Stefan. But, do you think mom knows about Dad's latest girlfriend or...whatever she is?" Damon asked, getting into the car and starting it quickly, peeling out from their father's estate as he glanced over at Stefan who simply said. "Yeah, I bet she does and knowing our mother, she's probably furious about it."

Damon nodded, exhaling deeply when he questioned. "So, who do you need to call and are we really going out to that job site again. This doesn't have something to do with the lady's niece, does it?"

Stefan leaned his head back, laughing and rolling his eyes. "Just drive, Damon. I'll tell you once we get there or maybe if luck will have it, you'll meet the niece when we get to the shop. Although, she doesn't like rich men, to be honest- I don't even think she really like's people at all."

* * *

"Pretty busy today, huh?" A man's voice asked when Elena lifted her head up from the book in her hands.

"Dare You To by Katie Mcgarry..Hmm... Aren't you a little too old to be reading young adult novels, Miss Gilbert?" He questioned, causing Elena to nearly slam the book down on the desk that she was sitting at, not even flinching as she glanced up into Stefan's dark green eyes that were filled with a look of pure amusement.

"Come to harass me about my reading choices now, Mr. Salvatore? Look, if you're looking to collect more money from us. I don't have any. I really don't and neither does my aunt. So, all I can say is leave now. Before, I'll call the police- I have them on speed dial for unwanted creatures like you." Elena said, hissing out her words in an angered tone as she got up and leaned forward, locking her eyes onto Stefan who was smiling nearly from ear to ear now at how riled up she was getting.

"Ha, actually. I wanted to ask you about that offer on the dog training. Listen, I know that I said I didn't need your help with him. However, I was lying. He's been eating my perfectly good shoes, ripping them apart. I even found some of my buttons from a few of my very expensive, imported Italian suits on the ground, holes are in the fabric..You were right, he's destructive." Stefan told her, watching Elena roll her eyes at him.

"You need to stimulate his mind, Mr. Salvatore or maybe the dog is going insane because he's living with you, god only knows. I'd probably loss it too if I was cooped up in a room with you for a few hours." Elena shot at him, watching Stefan shake his head and glance down at the floor, gritting his teeth back and forth.

"Okay, I deserve that. Listen, Elena. I just-." Stefan began to say. But, as he stepped closer towards her, a flash of long hair come into full view and Jenna stood beside him.

"Get the hell out of my salon or I will call the police! It isn't enough that you came here a few days ago. You're harassing us, Mr. Salvatore. Get out now!" She shouted, placing her arms in front of her and shoving Stefan out through the front door.

"I'm not here to bother you, Mrs. Saltzman. I promise, I just wanted to speak with Elena, your niece." Stefan commented, adjusting his shirt and turning to look back at Damon who was attempting to muffle the laughter that was coming out of his mouth at watching his brother being shoved out of an establishment.

"She clearly doesn't want to speak with you, Stefan. So, get the hell out of here and away from my salon. Because the next time I see you here. I will call the police. I really don't give a damn that you're very well known around here, because that still won't help you when you get arrested!" Jenna told him in a harsh tone, turning back towards the salon, brushing past Elena who was standing behind her, watching everything happen and not saying a word until Jenna was gone.

"She's right about not caring about who you are. Because, I really don't give a damn about that either. Although, I thought it over and I can train your destructive dog three times a week if necessary, at your home, just as long as you stop lingering around here and leave us alone. But, that is all I will be doing, Mr. Salvatore. I'm just a trainer for the dog, not a companion to you what so ever. You pay me money and after my training session is done, I never have to see you again. How's that for a better deal this time around?" Elena asked him, exhaling deeply and hoping that this time around that he wouldn't try to back out of it.

Stefan glanced back at Damon who nodded and then Elena watched Stefan extend out his hand. "You have a deal, Miss Gilbert. So, when can you start?" Stefan asked in an eager tone as he watched Elena smile at him when she replied with a simple answer. "As soon as you need me. Besides, I'm sure that since the dog isn't with you at the moment. He's probably chewing his way through some more of your expensive suits and to be honest, I really don't want to hear about how many things of yours he's messed up just because you don't know how to train him. So, I can start tomorrow morning. All I need is directions to your house." Elena told him as she watched Stefan give her a charming smile.

"I'll pick you up." He offered as she scoffed at his words and looked down at the floor.

"No, I'd rather drive myself off a cliff than sit in a car with you for a half hour as a road trip to your overly priced house. Write your address down and I'll find you." Elena told him, a sly smirk across her face as she watched Stefan walk back towards his brother's car, handing her a business card with his name and an address scribbled on the back of it.

"Alright, princess. You got a point. Because, I would rather not have to listen to you complain and would be much happier if you drove yourself. So, I'll see you in the morning at 8 am sharp. I'll make sure that Duke and I will be ready for you." He commented with a wink as Elena rolled her eyes and turned away from him, glancing over her shoulder at Stefan when she added. "All I need is the dog. You on the other hand, you don't even need to be there. I mean, unless you're worried that I'll steal your things."

Stefan shook his head, mumbling to himself as he glanced over at Elena and smiled a fake smile at her when he added. "Aren't you just the sweetest, it's going to be a fun time working with you, Elena. I don't know about you. But, I can't wait."

Elena laughed, a cocky grin forming on her face as she spoke. "I'm sweet to people who are nice to me. So, take that one into consideration, Mr. Salvatore. Because, for this to work properly, I only need to bond with your dog and not you. However, you and I will be spending a lot of time together and we'll need to tolerate each other for long periods of time. So, once I get past the fact that the way you look at me makes me want to vomit, we should be okay. "

"The way I look at you? How do I look at you, be specific." Stefan said with a smile, his green eyes shining.

Elena exhaled deeply, crossing her arms over her chest when she stated. "You keep looking at me as if I'm someone you'd like to screw. And, for this to work- that needs to stop. This has nothing to do with either of us. But, we both have things to gain from it. So, stop staring at me like I'm a bimbo that you want to take into your bed and sleep with. Because, it's not going to happen!"

Stefan laughed, leaning against Damon's car, shrugging his shoulders back and giving Elena his best confident smile when he added. "Oh, don't worry, I'll stop, once you stop dressing all sexy. Miss Gilbert. Let's lay out some ground rules, as long as you don't get in my way, I won't get into yours- remember that. Besides, you said it yourself. None of this is about me or you. So, be at my house at 8 am tomorrow morning and we'll discuss things further." He told her with a smile as Elena watched Stefan open the car door and get in. She stood near Jenna's salon, watching them drive away and tried to convince herself that she wouldn't allow him to get under her skin, because she knew that to go head to head with someone as powerful as Stefan Salvatore, she needed to up her game and turn the tables on him with their agreement. Elena needed to focus less on the dog and more on him, the guy she saw as an arrogant jerk who cared about nothing more than himself .

* * *

**A/N: Please feel free to review and let me know what you all thought about this chapter or the story as a whole. I love hearing your thoughts! :) **

**Follow me on twitter for updates at:Be_Passionate24**

**-Until Next Time!-**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:**** Hey all! I just wanted to say Thank you guys so much for reading this story and finding interest in it. Every review/Favorite and follow me so much to me! :)**

**So, Enjoy & Please feel free to Read and Review! **

**Follow me on Twitter for updates at:Be_Passionate24 **

* * *

**Must Love Dogs- Chapter Six **

She had never seen anything like it. Stefan Salvatore's house was more than anything Elena Gilbert could ever imagine, that she stopped at the door, just glancing up at it in awe when she rang the doorbell the next morning and waited for him to answer.

His house looked like a creation from something that she had only seen in the movies, palm trees surrounded the entrance, huge stone pillars hovering over the walk way, holding up the entry way to the house and when she took a step back, hearing the door unlock and Stefan grumble at the dog. Elena smiled to herself at what she figured would be an even better view inside.

She stood back when he leaned against the door frame in a well pressed dark blue suit, licking his lips and grinning at her. "Good morning. Miss Gilbert."

Elena looked down at his polished shoes, moving her eyes up at the cuffs on his sleeves. She was at loss for words. How could someone look so well put together so early in the morning? She mentally slapped herself at how she looked, black jogging sweat pants, her hair thrown up in a messy pony tail and her "Oregon Ducks" sweat shirt was covering her short sleeved pink shirt that she had thrown on in a hurry to get to his house on time, her makeup barely even covering the dark circles she had under her eyes from staying up so late the night before.

"Hi." Was all Elena could manage to say as she watched him take a step back, smiling when he extended out his hand towards the entry way into the house and said. "Duke's in the backyard, I'm on my way to go pick us up some breakfast and then I have a conference call to do. But, please..Come in."

"You got all dressed up for a conference call?" Elena asked him in a surprised tone, stepping into the house that she had imagined would be filled with all expensive modern day furniture and maybe even a life sized statue of himself, since Stefan did in fact seem like the type of guy that would do such a thing. But, as she stepped further into the house. She wasn't sure if her heart sank or if she wanted to ask tons of questions as to why it was so bare and empty, boxes scattered everywhere and newspapers crumpled on the floor all over the place.

" Well. My father always said to be dressed to impress at all times. The boxes are from my wife..She left me, with the house. But, she took most of her stuff, leaving it a disaster zone of this. I'm sure you know who I'm speaking about...My wife, Rebekah..The one that all the articles on me have been buzzing about with.." Stefan explained as he watched Elena swallow the lump in her throat, looking around at the bare minimum that he had in such a large house. A white colored sofa, a large plasma tv, two chairs with a dining table that looked like it was patio furniture, and a few other essentials in which he seemed not very fond of.

"I guess she figured that I didn't much. Ha, she was wrong about that though..Because, I needed her." Stefan said, his tough guy act dropping for a brief moment as Elena took a step towards him and Stefan pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out a laugh that sounded almost as if he was masking most of his painfully breaking heart at the mention of what Rebekah had done to him.

"Stefan..I..." Elena's voice trailed off as she looked up at him and he turned away from her, fixing his suit and grabbing his car keys.

"Look, you said it yesterday. You're here for the dog- not me. So, how about we focus on him, instead of me. Because, I really don't need to hear about how sorry you are or see the sympathy in your eyes. My life changed the night she left me and I'm just trying to pick up the pieces. I don't need you to help me, I don't need anyone. I've got it handled, all of it. And, for the record..I'm perfectly fine." Stefan told her as she nodded and exhaled in an attempt at trying to understand him.

"I may not know you very well. But, it doesn't look like your handling this at all...You still call her your wife." Elena observed from the way his shoulders slumped as he adjusted his suit jacket, turning back to her and plastering the same smile that he was giving everyone lately, a perfected fake one.

"You're right. You don't know me and I honestly don't want you to get to know me. You and I are acquaintances and once this little agreement is over and that dog is behaving like he should. We'll go our separate ways, like none of this ever happened. So, excuse me. Miss Gilbert, I have work to do because I don't have time to get emotionally attached to anyone or anything at the moment, including a woman who has no idea what she's doing with my dog."

Stefan heard her laugh, watched as she ran her hands through her hair and she placed her hand on to the sliding door that lead out to the beautiful view of the city, and the large wooden patio with an even bigger swimming pool.

"Good. Because, to be honest. You'd never be my type and if anything were to ever happen between us...It would be a mistake and a complete lapse of judgment. I'd be a notch in your belt, since all you seem to care about is your money and yourself. So, now that we have that settled and out of the way. Excuse me too, Mr. Salvatore. I have a dog to train. And, I'm pretty sure that I know what I'm doing." Elena said in a confident tone, opening the door and stepping out into the hot sun, smiling and laughing when Duke came running up to her, licking her face.

* * *

"So, the new dog trainer..The same one from the salon?" Damon asked him over the phone as Stefan groaned and rubbed his hand over his face at the thought of Elena.

"Yeah, that's her. And, she's a pain in my ass already. She keeps trying to get to know me and shit. Do you know how annoying that is? I'm paying her to train the Duke and then to leave for the day. I'm not paying her to be my new best friend or my shrink." Stefan commented as he leaned back into his office chair and glanced out the open window, overhearing Elena speak to Duke in a commanding tone.

"What are you going to do about her? I mean, are you just going to keep her for the week and then fire her?" His older brother questioned as Stefan laughed and lifted his legs on to his dark cherry wood desk, glancing out of the window every so often to see Elena trying her best at having Duke listen to her.

"She can't even get the dog to listen to her. Ha, I'm about 100 percent sure that this girl will be out of my life in the next few days, Damon. Then, all I have to do is draw up the demolition plans and bye bye her aunt's dog grooming salon..Hello a new set of apartments that overlook the water and shoreline. She made a deal with me that if she could train the dog that I wouldn't ruin her aunt's life. But, I'm watching her outside and she's failing on her end of the bargain. Or, maybe Duke dislikes her as much as I do...Who knows. It could be both." Stefan told his brother as he continued to watch Elena outside, chasing Duke around the yard, a leash in his mouth as he flung it around and took off into the pool, making a huge splash behind him.

"She just...Oh shit, Damon. I have to go!" He mumbled as he briskly got up and told Damon that he'd call him later.

Stefan walked through the house causally walking into the kitchen, leaning against the counter top and smirking when he heard the sliding door open again, a drip drop sound of water following from a pair of sneakers. Elena stepped back inside of the house, drenched from the pool water, her hair sticking to her face as she glared at the dog and then up at Stefan.

"He's a monster, Mr. Salvatore. And, I can't handle him. So, I quit!" She declared, pushing her hair back and wiping away the black eyeliner and mascara that was streaking her rosy red cheeks, the red leash that had accidentally got tied around her ankles, dragging behind her.

"You quit that easily? What happened to "you need to get down to their level, Mr. Salvatore. Those were your words, am I right?" Stefan asked her in a cocky tone, causing Elena to exhale deeply. Stefan watched as she rung out her dripped wet shirt and it stuck to her stomach. For a moment, he lost his train of thought- thinking about what it would feel like to run his hands across her moisten skin. But, Stefan quickly snapped out of it when she remarked in an agitated tone. "That was before he dunked me into your pool. So, find another trainer, maybe someone who is an actual professional. Because, I won't put up with you or your monster of a dog. You and him are one of the same!"

Stefan's eyebrows lifted, his hands crossed over his chest as he exhaled deeply and shot her a daring look. "Excuse me..Did you just call me a dog? Ha, surely you think I'm hotter than he is. I could see the look in your eyes this morning when you saw me in a suit. I took your breath away." Stefan commented, grinning as Elena rolled her eyes and pulled her soaked hair back, ringing out the excess water on his tilted floor.

"You're so full of shit and I was an idiot to think that under all of your expensive exterior, your huge house and fast cars, your multi million dollar company and your imported Italian suits that you'd actual have a heart and soul." Elena shouted at him, huffing out a breath as she stomped out of Stefan's kitchen and went straight towards his front door, placing her hand on to the door handle and not turning to face him as he spoke to her.

"Now, I'm cold blooded with no soul. Are you trying to say that I'm a vampire or something because if I was, I still wouldn't be attracted to you. Miss Gilbert, for your information. Two can play this game of 'who hates who more.' Because, your a huge pain in my ass and I can't wait to tear down that salon so that I don't have to deal with you or your aunt, again!" Stefan exclaimed, catching the front door with his hand as he watched Elena glare at him, flipping him off before she got into her car and stated. "Good, because I can't wait to fight you against tearing the building down. You've finally found your match- Mr. Salvatore, and their will be hell to pay if you try to double cross me. So, try it and we will see what happens. I promise you that I will do whatever it takes to allow you to not win. Because, I love being competitive and getting my way just as much as you do. But, the only difference is that..I play dirty."

* * *

"You did what?" Jenna asked her, nearly spitting out the reminisce of the skittles in her mouth as Elena explained to her aunt about the days events.

"I changed the game on him, Jenna. I had no choice. He's an even bigger asshole than I thought he was and now, I want him to get a bit of his own medicine. He thinks that he can ruin our lives, just wait until he comes crawling back to me for help because that dog of is ruins his life. And, until I force his construction crew to stop harassing us." Elena told her as Jenna shook her head and inhaled sharply.

"What makes you think that he'll be coming back you for help after what you said to him, Elena. This guy could hire 10 different professionals to train this dog of his and you think that he wants just you to do it. And, he has money. Lots of it- which means that whatever you try to do against him in stopping his plans to tear down the building. He'll come at us even harder, and be even more aggressive about it." Jenna commented as Elena glanced up and her and ran her hands through her hair gently.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure to do the same...He's lonely, Jenna. And, lonely men don't do very well by themselves when their plans get ruined. Believe me, he won't last very long alone and even if he does find someone to occupy his time with or to take his mind off of things- it won't last long. Stefan likes being in control of things and I can tell that it drives him crazy when he isn't. So, one little wrench thrown into his demolition plans should derail them for a while. Until, I can figure out my next move." Elena told Jenna as she exhaled deeply and ran her fingers through her hair.

"Maybe he just needs a good old fashion seduction." Jenna recommended with a wink as Elena rolled her eyes.

"I'm not sleeping with him. There is no way in hell! Even if he tried to pay me for it, I wouldn't do it. I feel like Stefan would be that creepy stalker guy that once he had you. He'd tell all of his friends about what a great screw you were and then, his group of friends- that is if he even has any- would try to sleep with you too. Look, I'm not going there with him. I told him that I quit and he said that he'd find someone else. If he really is desperate and needs me, he knows where to find me. But, until I figure out what to do next with my little Stefan problem. I'm helping you out, Jenna. I'll walk the dogs on the beach everyday, I'll groom them and clean the kennels. I'll do it all as long as I don't have to see Mr. hot shot Salvatore ever again!"

Jenna smirked as she leaned forward and placed her hand on to Elena's. "Sweetheart, don't ever say that you'll never see him again in this part of town...Because, that's nearly impossible to do."

She exhaled out a breath, feeling as if her worst thoughts were coming true when she glanced up at her Aunt. Her face hurt from tightening her jaw so much as she asked. "And, why's that?"

Jenna laughed once more, smiling at Elena and licking her lips before she turned around and pulled out a real estate magazine, the feature cover on it was of Stefan and Damon Salvatore, both of them impeccably dressed in their perfect suits, no hairs on their heads looked out of place and they were smiling at the camera as the headline and cover story read. " Hot and taking Florida real estate by storm! SD Realty owner, Stefan Salvatore quickly becomes one of the biggest sought out real estate developers while the realty firm he took over is one of the largest growing in Florida!"

"Son of a bitch. Please, tell me that he doesn't spend his days off around this area." Elena grumbled under her breath when she heard her aunt sigh, adding in a soft tone. "Honey, most of his clients are in this area and I've seen him at that cute little coffee shop that you seemed to like." Jenna said, watching Elena's brown eyes widen at the thought of bumping into him there.

"Great, looks like I'll need to find a new place to get coffee from now. Since, I can't seem to escape him!" Elena exclaimed, placing her hands over his face in frustration. Making her plans up to turn the tables on the greedy money loving business men would be something that she could handle without a problem. But, having to see him everywhere she went around town- even if it was his face on a magazine, would be the biggest challenge of them all. Because, Elena was right- there was no escaping Stefan and even if she tried..She'd quickly fail at it.

* * *

"So, he just let her go. Is he is insane?" Katherine asked Damon as she leaned her head against the head board in their room, watching Damon starting a very important e-mail for work.

"Well, she did say that he didn't have a soul and he said that she was a pain in his ass. Their partnership was short lived. But, what can you do? I'm sure that my little brother will have someone new in his house in just a few days and once that happens, we can finally proceed with our blueprints for the apartment complex. And, Elena Gilbert- will be history." Damon told his wife as she rolled her eyes and exhaled deeply.

"Damon, why does everything have to always be about work with you? Even on Izzie's birthday last year, you left the party early because you had to get back to the office. Enough work, Damon...Enough already. I miss you and I want you to be here with me, more. Not in the office and not missing out on our lives. Don't you get it, Damon? I married you, not your job." Katherine pleaded with him. It was late at night and Izzie had just gone to bed, so Katherine knew that to get Damon's attention, she had to be a bit drastic.

"Because, I bring home a paycheck that supports this family, Katherine. And, you spend that money on our daughter and yourself..." Damon's voice trailed off as Katherine huffed out an annoyed breath.

"I just want your attention to not be on work all the time and to be on me instead. What happened, Damon. Am I not as attractive to you as I used to be?" Katherine asked him,this harshness in her voice that echoed throughout their bedroom.

It had been like this for months. Katherine complaining about how unattractive she looked, Damon telling her that it wasn't true and that the real problem was his job- long hours- less time at home with her and their daughter.

"Izzie misses you and so do I. Please, Damon...To make this marriage of ours work, you'll need to be here for us more and less in the offices. It takes two to make a relationship work," Katherine told him, getting up from the bed, taking off her clothing quickly and tighten her robe around her waistline.

"I'm going to go take a bath. If you even care." She told him over her shoulder, purposefully untying the robe and dropping it to her feet before she walked into the bathroom, leaving her body completely unclothed.

"I love you, Katherine. I want you to know that. I married you because I love you and you're the most important thing in my life." Damon admitted, watching Katherine pivot on her heels, not even caring how exposed she felt in front of her husband.

"Hmm. Some days I do wonder who you love more. Who you're married to more... Me or this god damn job!" She told him, her fingernails digging into her skin as she watched Damon huff out a breath, placing the lap top towards his feet as he got up and locked his eyes on to her face.

She was fulled naked in front of him, it wasn't the first time and it surely wouldn't be the last. But, by now this was the most interested that Katherine had seen Damon be in her than he had been in these last few months. She stood still, just turning to pick up her robe. However, Damon's cool hand on her shoulder stopped her from moving, his soft and warm touch sent a chill down her spine, the first real touch from her husband that she'd felt in weeks.

"I married you. Because, I love you, Katherine Salvatore. I married you and we have a beautiful daughter together. I work long hours, most weekends, days and nights because I want to provide for you and this family that we've created, I want to take care of you. However, it doesn't mean that I don't love you or that I've forgotten about us. Because, I do..." His voice got stuck in his throat as Katherine watched Damon lick his lips and just when she was about to open her mouth to reply back to him, she felt her back hit the closed bathroom door and his lips on hers.

Damon's lips ravished and hungrily devoured Katherine's mouth in a breathtaking open mouthed kiss that left them both gasping for air. Her hands were shaking as she slipped them underneath his shirt and felt his stomach muscles contract under her long fingernails. Katherine's gaze was hazy when she opened her eyes again and her senses all focused in on one thing- Damon.

"Ever since you walked into my life, I never wanted anyone as much as I want you." Damon admitted, cupping her face into his hands when their lips broke away and she smiled at him, wrapping her arms around him as she uttered out. "Join me in the bathtub. Like we used, just the two of us..Please."

Damon laughed to himself as he pivoted on his heels, away from Katherine and turning to look at the laptop and opened email message that he had began writing. "It can wait." He told her, shrugging his shoulders as he felt her hands slide underneath his shirt again, her nails stroking over his back when she simply said whispered into his ear, an underline of seduction in her tone. "Make love to me, like we used to. Like no one or nothing else matters, but us. Love me, Damon...Like you used to."

* * *

**A/N: My little Datherine shipper heart. You all asked for more Damon & Katherine..There will be a lot more to come, I promise. Also, what about Elena finally reaching her breaking point and thinking that she can avoid Stefan...Ha! Like that will be very easy to do! ;) **

**-Until Next Time!- **


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hey All! So, I just wanted to say thank you to all of you for following and liking this story. It really means a lot to me. With that being said. Happy New Year to you all! :)**

**Hope you all enjoy Ch.7!**

**Thanks so much for reading. **

* * *

**Must Love Dogs- Chapter Seven **

He held her tightly, her staggered breathing filling his ears as she wrapped her arms around him and he smiled to himself as Katherine's lips kissed his neck, her warm and sweet kisses leaving a trail against his skin when her feet hit the ground and she pushed them back into the bathroom, smiling to herself as Damon moved a strand of her hair behind her ears, staring directly into her eyes.

"I love you." He said, firmness in his tone as she blinked her eyes at him. It had been so long since he had sincerely meant those words, had truly and convincing told her that he loved her that Katherine had briefly forgotten what it was like to hear them leave his lips.

"I love you too, Damon." She whispering, her mouth just inches away from his as she tried to catch her breath when his arms pulled her closer and she stumbled back against the sinks counter top in the bathroom.

Katherine gasped as she felt his hands roam down to her thighs and he hoisted her up onto the counter top, his hands swiping away all of her facial and bath products all over the floor.

"Someone's going to need to organize that again." She said with a laugh as Damon leaned into her, whispering softly against her lips before he left a sweet and tender kiss upon them. "We can do it later."

* * *

"I'm telling you that I'm not the problem here, you are. You guys are overpriced and not very professional!" Stefan shouted into his cell phone as he hung up the phone and nearly threw it across the room. Calling Rebekah to try and take Duke back at this point seemed fairly impossible because he had tried calling her the whole day and she still hadn't picked up. But, it was his only option after he had called way too many boarding kennels and nearly all of them had said that they were filled for months in advance and that they couldn't take dogs on such short notice.

Stefan exhaled deeply as he leaned against the desk in his office and called his ex-wife, hoping that she would answer the only phone number of hers that he still had. He held his breath as the phone rang and just when it did, she answered in a sweet and overly cheerful tone.

"Stefan. It's been far too long. So, how are you holding up. How's my baby, Duke?" Rebekah questioned as Stefan sighed out a breath and looked outside the window.

"He's destroying my life, Rebekah! I can't go anywhere without him because I'm afraid he'll eat my expensive clothes, he's outside right now digging a hole the size of a crater in the middle of my backyard because I gave him a bone..I want you to come back and get him! I want you to tell me where you are...Please." Stefan nearly begged her as he heard her exhale deeply before she suddenly added. "I'm not coming back,Stefan. Our divorce is finalized and I'm moving on with my life, as you should too. Goodbye, Stefan and do something about the dog. Take him to the beach or something, he likes that...He likes the water." Rebekah concluded before she hung up the phone and Stefan was left with the buzzing of the phone line in his ears.

He slammed his hands against his desk in frustration as he glanced back outside and straightened himself out as he walked out of his office and to the backyard. Stefan knelt down near the door, Duke's red leash in his hands as he whistled, capturing the dogs attention almost instantly.

"Hey Duke! You wanna go on a car ride?" Stefan asked in a high pitched tone as the dog ran towards him, his ears flopping as he ran, his tongue hanging to one side as he almost crashed into Stefan from all of his excitement.

"Alright, let's go out together tonight. You just- You have to promise me that you'll be on your best behavior." Stefan warned as Duke began to play with the leash in his hands and he sighed out a breath, smiling to himself as he thought about where he was going to take him. Maybe Rebekah was right, the beach would be just the place to take the dog, maybe they could finally bond with each other.

* * *

"Stefan?" Caroline questioned his name as she turned around and leaned her back against the bar table. The establishment was smoke filled with loud music and belligerent drunks as Caroline leaned into her cell phone, barely able to hear what Stefan was saying.

"I can't hear you!" She shouted into her phone, nearly jumping out of her skin when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Caroline quickly turned around, a stunned look on her face as she felt her cheeks heat at how handsome he looked in his yellow polo shirt and dark blue jeans.

"I said, come outside with me and lets talk for a bit. I miss my best friend." Stefan told her smiling as she glanced around the bar and she nodded, unraveling her apron and throwing it on top of the bar stool as she followed him outside.

They didn't need to walk far to hit the warm sand and sound of the crashing waves, because like everything in Florida. Nearly everything was close to the beach and Caroline's work wasn't an exception.

"So, you drove all the way out to Miami to talk with me. Stefan, what do you want to talk about?" Caroline asked as she placed her arms around herself and glanced down at Duke who seemed to be behaving himself as he walked beside Stefan at a slow pace. His dark brown paws kicking up the beach sand as they walked a long distance before they sat down so that Stefan could talk to her.

"I wanted to talk about us." He commented, causing Caroline's stomach to tighten as she looked around the beach, noticing a few people still walking around when the sun began to go down.

"Stefan..What I said to you a few days ago..It was a mistake. I was- I wasn't thinking straight...I-." She began to say as she watched Duke sit in between them and her hand ran through his thick and multi colored soft fur.

"You're my best friend and you have the right to tell me how you feel, Caroline. And, I'm glad that you told me. But, Rebekah just left me and I'm still trying to deal with it. I just, don't want anything to be weird between us. You're my best friend and we've been through a lot together, Caroline. I love you like your my sister." Stefan told her, grabbing a hold of her hand and causing Caroline to glance up at him, their eyes locking for just a brief moment as he smiled, dropping her hand when she swallowed the lump in her throat and added. "I love you too."

He watched as Caroline uncomfortably shifted in the sand at his words and she suddenly got up, brushing off the grainy feeling against her jeans. "I should get back to work." She said in a raw and detached tone as Stefan glanced up at her, nodding his head.

"Yeah. Caroline, please don't let this weirdness between us, ruin our friendship. You mean too much to me." He told her, barely being able to see the glazed over tears in her eyes as she inhaled sharply and loudly said. "It won't. I promise."

* * *

The sheets and their clothing were scattered all over the floor as Katherine kissed Damon's chest, lowering herself down against him when he leaned his head back and he smiled as she ran sharp nails over his chest.

"We should take Izzie and get out of the here for a bit. Maybe we can go to that condo that you bought us in West Palm Beach or Boca Raton. " Katherine purred as she watched Damon close his eyes, running his hands through her hair and leaning into her, kissing her forehead.

"Like a family vacation?" He asked her as she smiled and nodded.

"Yeah. You could take a few days away from the office and Izzie spends most of her time with me. So, we could afford taking a few days off. It'd be fun." Katherine urged, watching Damon smile when he leaned back against the pillows on their bed, his hand running over Katherine's bare back as her hands ran up and down his shirtless chest.

"Yeah. I'll talk to Stefan and see if I could." Damon commented, suddenly watched as Katherine rolled her eyes, huffing out a breath and getting up from their bed, quickly picking up her clothing and throwing a glare in her husband's direction.

"What happened now, Katherine! I just said that I needed to talk to my brother. That's it. Why are you so pissed off all of a sudden?" Damon asked her as she grabbed her shirt and pulled it over her body, inhaling sharply and shaking her head with a clenched jaw.

"Because, Stefan isn't your boss, Damon! You don't need to approve everything by your younger brother. My God and this is why we have problems. Because, you wanted to join your brother in this stupid family business. I knew I should have talked you out of it!" She yelled, roughly pulling on the rest of her clothes as Damon blankly stared at her and his mouth opened to add more to the conversation. But, just as it did, his cell phone rang.

"Katherine..Wait!" He tried to say, attempting to get up from the bed as Katherine shook her head, slamming the bedroom door behind her before Damon could even say anything back to her.

"What!" Damon aggressively yelled into the phone as he heard a small laugh and then a light and tired British voice rang through the other end.

"Hello to you too, Damon. It's Klaus..I was wondering if you could come and pick me up from the airport? I had a bit of a change of plans and flew in a little earlier than excepted. I wanted to surprise Stefan. You don't think that he's going to mind, do you?"

Damon ground his teeth back, slowly getting up from his bed as he clutched on to the cell phone in his hands and inhaled deeply before he replied with a smile. "I don't think he will. I'll be there in 30 minutes."

* * *

He hated coming home at night to such a lonely and unfurnished house. But, at least he wasn't alone in a sense. Stefan slowly opened the front door as he held on tightly to Duke's leash, feeling the dog's body tense as the door opened and they both entered into the house.

The sound of music was coming from his office and the smell of a scented pine candle burned in the kitchen as Stefan looked around and shook his head. The last he remembered, he hadn't left anything on and he sure as hell didn't own any scented candles.

"What the hell." He murmured as he released Duke's leash and watched as the dog ran back into his office, where the music was coming from.

"Holy shit! Nice doggie..Good boy!" Stefan heard a man shout as he walked back down the hallway and just as Stefan stepped into his own office, he saw Duke in a protective stance, head low, ears back and growling at their intruder.

"If he bites me, I'm suing you!" Klaus shouted as he placed his hands low, near his waistline, trying to protect himself.

"No sudden movements or he will bite you and it will hurt. You know, Klaus. German Shepard's are bred for protection, nearly every police force has them and they are fiercely loyal dogs to their owners. They also hate strangers." Stefan said, trying to not burst into laughter as he leaned against the wall and watched Klaus slowly being pushed up against the wall a bit as Duke continued to growl at him, inching closer towards Klaus's pant leg.

"Well, tell this one to stop, mate! He looks like he's going to kill me!" Klaus shouted in a nervous tone as Stefan let out a laugh and shook his head, whistling towards Duke and calling his name. Stefan heard Klaus exhale a sigh of relief when the dog turned towards Stefan and he patted the dogs head.

"I said that most German Shepard dogs were bred to be used for protection and being loyal. This one on the other hand, wasn't. He was actually supposed to be a show dog." Stefan elaborated as Klaus removed his hand from his chest and leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes and catching his breath when Duke finally circled around Stefan and sat down near his feet.

"Thank god he wasn't. He looked pretty pissed though." Klaus said as Stefan smiled and walked towards his friend in confusion.

"How did you even get into my house?" He questioned as Klaus grinned and embraced him, patting him on the back and stepping away to reply.

"I called Damon from the airport and he gave me his spare key...You know, Stefan..You really need to call someone to decorate your house. I mean, it looks horrible and bare." He commented, watching Stefan run his hands through his hair, shrugging his shoulders back.

"Yeah. Well, that's all thanks to your sister." Stefan said in a firm tone as he heard Klaus let out a small breath before he replied. "Yeah, well. It's time you move on from her. So, that's why I'm here, Stefan. To show you that Rebekah isn't the only girl out there that could change your lonely life."

Stefan stared down at the floor, biting down on his lower lip nervously and leading them out into his kitchen as he felt Klaus's hand on his shoulder when he said in a joyous tone. "Well, first off we're going to get some food in your empty fridge and then, we're going to get really drunk. That is the cure for any broken heart."

Stefan smiled at his friend's words and nodded. "Yeah. But, I have work in the morning." Stefan tired to argue as Klaus let out a laugh and shook his head. "So, what? You'll be up early enough and sobered up to get through the day. Trust me, all we're going to have is a drink or two with a few pretty women." He said with reassurance in his tone as they walked into the kitchen and Klaus opened up the fridge, shaking his head.

"You need to get food, mate. So, are their any good places around here to eat and get drunk all at the same time?" Klaus asked with a smile, watching Stefan lick his lips as he added. "Yeah, I know just the place. But, it's in Miami. A have a friend of mine who works in Miami at a bar, she's there right now, actually. So, how about we go and say hi."

* * *

"Go out and be your age!" Jenna said in a soft tone as she finished braiding Elena's hair, two long French braids that came down to the middle of her back.

Elena inhaled deeply. Since leaving her hometown she had been too busy in helping Jenna save her salon that she hadn't had much time to really make any new friends. So, going out was somewhat out of the question since she was perfectly content in sitting where she was at.

"Where am I going to go, Jenna? I don't know anyone here and-." Elena began to say as Jenna snapped her fingers, briskly getting up from the couch and taking Elena's hands into her own, pulling her niece up to her feet.

"I want you to take my keys, get dressed, put on some makeup and go out. Anywhere in town. Just go out and have some fun, Elena." Jenna urged as Elena gave her a reluctant look and she began to shake her head. But, Alaric's voice interrupted what she was about to say.

"Your aunt's right. Go out and have some fun, Elena. Just, call us if you get too drunk to drive. We'll come get you. Besides, it'll get your mind off of that guy- Stefan...Was that his name?" He told her as she inhaled deeply at the mention of Stefan's name, smiling at Jenna.

"Fine. Okay! I'll go out and have some fun. And, Alaric's right...Getting my mind off Stefan would be a good thing." She commented, pivoting on her heels as she hugged Jenna before disappearing up stairs and into her bedroom.

"You think convincing her to go out is the right thing to do?" Alaric asked his wife as she smiled at him, placing her hand on to his chest, a sweet and seductive smile lingering across her lips when she leaned up towards his cheek and kissed it.

He smiled, wrapping his arms around her and feeling Jenna inhale sharply when she stated. "It's better than having her sit around here, moping about that jerk, Stefan Salvatore and how rude he is! Don't you agree?" Jenna asked, hearing Alaric laugh as he added. "Yeah, I completely agree."

* * *

She had been driving in circles for what felt like hours until she parked in front of the fifth bar that she had driven by that night. It seemed decent and fairly busy. The building was well lit, backing towards the beach and Elena stepped out of the car, she could hear the ocean's waves crashing against each other and then she heard laughter on the back patio of the bar that overlooked the water.

She slowly made her way inside, straightening out her sleeveless blue and white tank top that matched her white shorts. She exhaled out a heavy sigh, clutching her light brown colored purse against her body when she stepped into the bar and was hit with the overpowering scent of smoke and the sounds of free flowing liquor.

Elena smiled as she glanced around and noticed all the people her own age, laughing and smiling with the people around them. Everyone seemed to be having a great time and just as she walked up to a set of empty barstools, she noticed a bright blond haired bartender that was mixing drinks and pouring a cranberry martini into two different glasses, chatting up a storm with the patrons around her.

"What will it be?" The blond with the bubbly personality suddenly questioned as Elena gave her a shy smile and shrugged her shoulders back, beginning to open her mouth. But, the girl spoke before she even could reply to her question.

"You look like you could use something good, like a gin and tonic, maybe..something even stronger?" She guessed as Elena smiled and leaned against the bar table, placing her purse behind her on the back of her chair.

"By the way, My name is Caroline and I'll be your bartender tonight...Besides, you look pretty sad. Let me guess, a guy broke your heart?" Caroline asked with a smile as she watched the brunette laugh, shaking her head in disagreement.

"Not exactly. More like, I can't stop thinking about him, since I met him..Because, he's been pissing me off. So, Caroline. Give me the strongest drink you have so that I can just stop thinking about him." Elena elaborated as Caroline smiled and turned her back towards Elena for a moment, smiling over her shoulder when she said. "Coming right up!"

Elena watched Caroline mix the drinks with ice and in a shaker as she smiled at her before pouring it into an already chilled glass. "So, what is the jerks name? We should toast to this loser!" Caroline questioned as she watched Elena open her mouth. But, all of her movements stopped when she heard a loud laugh from behind Elena and when she glanced up, her eyes were met with a bright pair of blue eyes and a handsome looking young man stepped inside of the bar with Stefan just as Caroline uttered out. "Stefan..."

Elena was too impressed by her drink and the bartender Caroline's skills to even notice as she laughed and smiled, nodding in agreement when she asked. "Yeah, how did you know that, that was his name?"

* * *

**A/N: Oh boy..Elena and Caroline finally meet and Stefan tells Caroline that he loves her like a sister...uh oh! And, what about the addition of Klaus?! ;) Things are about to get fairly interesting! **

**Please let me know what you all think and feel free to leave a review. Also, if you like this story, feel free to favorite/follow it. :) **

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**-Until Next Time!- **


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